


Anything but Ordinary

by Lovscott



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M, Martana, brittana, quinntana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 27,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25769272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovscott/pseuds/Lovscott
Summary: New year, new school, new life, right? What Marley never realized was that the same year she was going to get into Glee Club, her life was going to take a thousand turns. That included two boys and a Latina. Thanks to 'Ineedtolevethisite' for making me ship this beautiful couple. MARTANA
Relationships: Jake Puckerman/Marley Rose, Quinn Fabray/Santana Lopez, Ryder Lynn/Marley Rose, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce, Santana Lopez/Marley Rose
Comments: 7
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**As I promised, I'm going to continue writing stories to make Naya Rivera always present with us. I must confess that I still don't assume what happened. For me, she is still with us.**

**Anyway, I must warn you that this first chapter will develop slowly. There will be Quinntana moments too, but MARTANA is end game. I hope to convey that passion that 'Ineedtoleavethisite' made me feel when I read their stories. They really are amazing and I hope that one day she/he will continue to write about them because, seriously, it's amazing.**

**I must confess that I wanted to write something about them years ago but well... things happened and I never started. So I slowly started writing and believe it or not, it took me months to finish this chapter. I have a very crazy life, sorry, lol.**

**So... without further ado... I leave you and await your reviews :)**

**I don't own any characters, only my imagination.** ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

_Marley Rose_

There.

She was finally able to take courage to write her name on that paper to enlist for an audition to join the Glee club. Immediately the brunette took the cell phone to take a photo and send it to her mother since she had told her to do it as proof that she had actually done it and had not lied to her.

Marley's mom kept hiding the truth that she was the girl's mother because she believed that this way her daughter would be more accepted. Who would want to socialize with her knowing that she was poor and on top of that her mother became the center of attention for high school bullying?

No one.

Marley didn't know how much longer she was going to put up with her schoolmates' meanness. There was a limit to everything. Even if it would cost Marley’s lifelong dream, which was to sing, she needed to do something about it because there was first the welfare of her mother, who did her utmost to give her a decent life. If there really was an award dedicated to the best mother in the world, Marley wouldn't doubt for five seconds that her mother would be the winner. She really couldn't think of anyone else who was a better mother than that woman and felt more than honored to be her daughter.

But, first of all, nobody had warned Marley that her life was about to become one of those typical novels in which the main character is always confused by the typical bad boy and by another one who fits the descriptions of a good boy.

“Oh, shit. Sorry”, When Marley turned to leave, she collided with a boy who hadn’t noticed her presence, causing her notebooks and folders to fall to the floor. "I'm Jake by the way" he smiled as he handed her things.

He wasn’t her type but, there was something attractive in the way he carried himself that she had only just noticed that day. He looked sure of himself and comfortable in his skin. It caught her attention and made him so much more attractive than she’d previously thought.

He was just sexy in his own way.

“Marley”, she offered him a shy smile.

They continued to smile and look at each other for a few seconds until Marley reacted and left. Marley couldn't get that boy out of her mind for days.

But that wasn't the end of it. That had just been the beginning of a big problem for Marley.

She always laughed and even joked about it when she saw those cases on TV where the girl/boy was afflicted because she/he loved two people at once. And well...

Later she met Ryder Lynn.

Yes, he had an aura, but his appeal was about so much more than that. He was really a great guy. He was intelligent, they could chat about anything for hours, he was funny as hell, and he was a really down-to-earth guy. She’d enjoyed his company every day, so this built her interest over time.

What Marley didn't know was that her head and heart were starting a war for those two boys and between them too.

…

..

.

* * *

“Welcome to New Directions!”, Will Schuester's happy voice echoed over and over in her head.

To say that Marley immediately fit into that group would be a gigantic lie. Why? For several reasons.

First, on the day of the New Directions auditions, Marley sang "New York State Of Mind", which shocked the Spanish teacher and the others with her talent and… to the surprise of the applicants to "The New Rachel", Marley's talent became something dangerous for them. There was so much tension and competition between them that Marley began to suspect if all the good rumors she had heard about the Glee club were ever true. In the end, she was accepted into the choir, which filled her with joy and excitement. 

Later, Marley was sitting at lunchtime with the members of the choir and, witnessing live the taunts encouraged by Kitty and the jocks about her mother, was something that she detested so much and hurt her so deeply that she couldn’t contain herself and came to her defense; Her reaction turned out to be a surprise to everyone and they couldn’t understand why she acted like that.

"I thought you were different", Marley told them with a mixture of pain and anger reflected in her words before leaving the table and began to walk directly to the bathroom to refresh her face and tried to control her tears that were already threatening to fall down her cheeks, but she failed enormously.

She didn't know how she was going to lie to her mother that day when she asked how it went with her new group of classmates. Her mother had worked so hard over the years for her daughter to be accepted and her dreams come true, that Marley didn't dare hurt her by telling her it was all in vain. She didn't want to lie to her mom, but she didn't want to hurt her either. So…

Life sucked.

“You know, I almost forgot what it was like to live worried about the fucking school drama till I got here”

Marley heard a female voice from the bathroom door.

“So, what’s up Gloomy Gus?”, Marley immediately wiped her tears with her hands and shook her head, implying that nothing was wrong.

“What are you doing here, Santana? I thought you were in Louisville”, Marley asked her with a frown as she found it strange to see the brunette at school, while she was trying to pull herself together.

“I was. As you can see, I'm here now. So, you gonna tell me what's going on with you? You're a good girl and something must have happened to make your eyes swell up like two tomatoes. Just cut the shit, will you? What happened?” The former cheerleader told her as she washed her hands and shook her head exasperatedly as if to imply that she should stop ignoring and avoiding her and get to the point.

“And how do I know you won't use it against me once I tell you?” Marley had heard a lot of stories about the Latina and the evil things she had done to extort people, even from her own friends.

“Just trust me” Santana said and approached the girl. Her chocolate eyes stuck intensely in her and by the firm posture shown by the ex-cheerio, her body affirmed her stubborn promise that she wouldn’t go anywhere until Marley spoke.

“The guys in Glee Club started saying some pretty ugly things about the woman who works in the kitchen and they were being really mean. I thought they were different. That's why I joined Glee club in the first place”, her eyes began to water again as she remembered what had happened at lunch and Marley hated to see how fragile she was at hiding those things. Especially since Santana was the person in front of her, having never seen her vulnerable or anything.

  
“Who? The fat women?” Santana asked and Marley stared at her with such anger that Santana began to smile triumphantly.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this if you're going to be–"

“Geez, kid. Calm your tits. I know you tested me and you're not being honest with me at all. Plus, you were waiting for me to say that. Now, are you going to tell me who she is to you? She seems to be someone close” Marley was about to lie to her when Santana raised her eyebrow by tilting her head, letting her know she knew what she was up to.

“She’s my mother. If you–”

“And you are ashamed of her? You never speak about her or even mentioned her before” Santana frowned. Marley began to get exasperated, her hands making uncontrollable movements and her mouth opened and closed several times not knowing what to say.

“It’s a long story”

“I’ve got plenty of time” Santana leaned over the sink and nodded her head, letting her know that she was waiting for Marley to start explaining.

“My mother raised me as a single mother”, Marley began to talk as she stared at Santana, watching every reaction the Latina made to know whether she should stop or continue talking, but since the Latina only said 'ok', waiting for her to continue so that's what she did “we are poor, Santana. She has a problem in genetics that is fattening easily, and people today can be awfully bad. I had to move from several schools because I was bullied for all this issue and when I started in this school, she never wanted anyone to know that she was my mother ... maybe that was the only way to help me being more accepted in school. She works all the time to be able to buy me some moderately acceptable clothes and change her labels for better brand ones so I could fit into the Glee club and today–they just –” Marley was trying to control her lips which started to tremble, she wanted to avoid bursting into tears again.

“So, that’s why you’re mad at them. Ok” As Marley kept her eyes closed preventing the tears from starting to fall again, the brunette responded only _that_ in such a peaceful and indifferent way that it caused her to open her eyes to look at her bewildered.

And, _what the hell?_ Santana, as if nothing had happened, started walking to the bathroom door to get out of there.

Was she really about to leave as if nothing had happened? How dare she?

“Santana, where are you going? You’re the first person I confess this to, and you say nothing? I don't know if I did right –”

“See you tomorrow, kid” And so, without further ado, Santana left in earnest, which worried the teenager. Maybe all she had to do was wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow was going to be a new day, and Marley was just hoping it would be better than this one.

…

..

.

* * *

The next day, Marley saw that everyone from the New Direction was waiting for her in her locker and Sam was the first to speak. He confessed that he did know what it was like to see his mother labeling her clothes with other brands and said that New Directions did not accept anyone because of labels but because of the talent and the kind of person they are. Marley was unconvinced when she saw that everyone had said horrible things about her mother, not just Sam, so the other members of the group approached her to apologize for what had happened.

It all ended with a giant group hug, making Marley smile.

Except for Kitty, who at the time was only thinking about how she was going to make Marley's life a living hell for stealing her boyfriend. Although nothing had happened between them yet, but a girl always knows when her boyfriend doesn't belong to her anymore no matter how long they stay together so–

While Marley was getting hugs and apologies from everyone, her mind was just focused on one thing.

Santana López.

She didn't know how, but surely Santana had done something to make this happen.

…

..

.

* * *

Marley was happy for the first time seeing that she had really made friends and you could say that Unique was her best friend. Even though Unique disagreed with her on her taste in boys and told her to not pay more attention to ‘the most womanizing boy in the whole school’, who would be Jake, they managed to have a very strong friendship. Although Tina had also agreed that Unique was right, Marley had made it clear to them that everyone deserves a chance, so she agreed to go on a date with him anyway. So, the girls had no choice but to respect her decision.

Jake took her to the movies and then they ended up having ice cream while walking aimlessly through the streets until they ended up arriving at Marley's house.

“You were totally drooling over that blonde” Marley remembered that Jake kept looking at the film very intently but was more than sure that it was because the girl was attractive, so she directly stated as she carefully observed the boy's reaction.

“What? I wasn’t. I swear” Jake rolled his eyes when Marley smiled at him as her eyes told him 'don't lie to me'” Okay. _Okay_. But if I was drooling it was because a blue-eyed brunette had a beautiful smile and she was sitting right next to me” he really knew how to charm women with his words. And the worst thing was that it worked with Marley who was so innocent.

“I had fun. Thank you”, Marley was smiling nervously because she didn't know how to answer him. She knew it was one of the typical phrases he had probably used with other girls, but she couldn't help but be flattered.

Before she walked away from Jake, the boy immediately grabbed her by the waist to attach her to his body, and so their lips met. Marley hadn’t seen it coming, so her whole body felt paralyzed until her consciousness began to be alarmed by what was happening.

“We–we can’t Jake. You’re with Kitty and I’m not going to be–”

“I know. I know”, his hands went straight to her cheeks to maintain eye contact between the two of them. “I’m gonna leave her”, his voice promised and Marley could only get lost in his dark eyes. “I wanna be with you”

And Marley trusted his word.

When Jake started walking home, Marley turned her back to enter her house when a few steps caught her attention. Obviously, she thought he had come back to give her another kiss or do something cheesy (Which she loved) and her heart was already racing again, but when she turned back to meet him–

“Santana?”

Marley didn't want to be disrespectful but, in her mind, no one other than Jake had crossed her mind. And... in a way, she was disappointed. The girl was wearing a green dress with black stripes, long black boots and a black leather jacket with her hands in her pockets.

“Kid, he’s not gonna leave her for you. You know it and I do. And when Kitty finds out that he was cheating on her with you, she’s so gonna kick your ass”

“What are you doing here, Santana?”, the teenager immediately frowned and crossed her arms into a defensive posture. There was really no need for the Latina to tell her that. Besides, it was nothing she didn't already know.

“I went out for a walk. I’m not stalking you or anything like it” Santana explained casually and when she saw that Marley did not believe her completely, she let out a frustrated sigh. “Look, I don’t give a fuck about what your decisions are. It’s just– it’s so clear what’s gonna happen that I pitty you for that. You seem a nice child and you don’t deserve this crap” Marley simply smiled sadly at the floor. She didn't know how to answer that.

“That almost sounds like you care”, When Marley told her that, the Latina just rolled her eyes and started walking away into the street.

Marley honestly thought that Jack was a good kid, but he had a very complicated, difficult life and maybe he never experienced what it was like to have a person who loves him as he was and showed him love and cared for him in a healthy way. Maybe... maybe... she could help him to feel those things.

And that's where Marley was always wrong. She had to stop thinking that all people were good, that some needed help and that she could help absolutely everyone.

Like Santana.

And there it went again. Marley thought Jake was like the male version of Santana. She believed that Jake had been hurt and had put up walls to protect himself but that it was really just part of a silly act. He screwed a lot of girls but at some point, his heart was only going to belong to one girl and he was going to be faithful like no other. But in order for him to do that, he needed someone to give him that opportunity and _obviously_ , Marley was going to give it to him.

Not everyone always deserved it, but she did it anyway. Sometimes having a good heart had its drawbacks.

So that was why Marley had believed Jake and promised she would wait for him.

How silly of her to think the boy would do it, he clearly wanted to be with both girls at the same time. That was demonstrated when weeks and weeks went by and Marley continued to see them together in the halls of the school.

So, once again, Marley was disappointed and didn't know what to do about what she was feeling. It was a sense of loss for something she never had and… that was something she couldn’t quite understand.

Although she could sense trouble from the very first time that they met up and she knew that once you develop feelings for someone who was in a relationship things were bound to go wrong, she still hoped it would be different. What on earth was she doing with him? She didn’t have a clue.

Maybe when you fall in love with someone ‘the reason’ has no part in the whole process.

…

..

.

* * *

Ryder Lynn.

He was the typical captain boy of the football team, tall, with an athletic build, muscular and well-proportioned and that typical catchy smile. The fact that he could _see_ Marley flattered her a lot, but for that very reason (he was a popular guy and she was a nobody), Marley thought he was too good to be real. He was respectful, thoughtful, chivalrous, and he was always there when she needed something.

He was the perfect guy to have a serious and trustworthy relationship, without having to hesitate and chase him to make sure he wasn't with other girls as he appeared to be very faithful and that was what Marley mainly looked for in someone else to be his boyfriend.

Fidelity.

Something that could not be found every day and should be valued more than anything in a relationship among other things.

Ryder took every opportunity to gain ground in the new Rachel's life and he slowly managed to succeed. He was a good kid after all, but what he didn't take into account was that for Marley it only meant a beautiful and valuable friendship that, from time to time, confused her and interfered with her feelings for Jake.

And that's when it all started to become a huge mess.

…

..

.

* * *

Marley had already lost track of the weeks that had passed since her date with Jake and was no longer looking directly in his direction. It hurt her just to see him walk in with Kitty, who he obviously hadn't left as promised.

It hurt her to know that she wasn't enough for him to change and open up to someone else once and for all, but what hurt her most were the lies and false promises he had made to her.

She couldn't understand how anyone could be with a girl like Kitty who always found something to humiliate everyone. For example, her new hobby now was chasing Marley and drilling her head with the idea that she was looking a little fatter every day, "thanks to her obese mother's genetics”.

Luckily, there was Ryder who was a sunshine in her grey days and always made her laugh, making the disappointment of the other boy weigh less on her chest.

Lately the boy had made a habit of accompanying her to all of Marley's classes, carrying her things like a good gentleman.

“You sure don’t waste your time huh”, Jake approached her locker, behind her, taking her by surprise. The half-Jewish kid showed up once Ryder was gone. Marley immediately turned around to stare at him.

Just having him around clouded her mind and she just wanted to kiss him again, but she knew she couldn't do that yet.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a month and I haven’t done anything wrong. How about you? Did you break up with Kitty yet?” It was not fair for him to come and claim things when he could not deliver what he had promised. When she met with a tormenting silence, Marley decided to withdraw from there.

“Thought so”

…

..

.

* * *

Later on, Kitty invited her and the rest of the glee club to the Left Behind Club, in order to prepare for the apocalypse. In the meeting at Breadstix, Kitty begins to talk about the return of Jesus and the rapture and describes the true believers being lifted up to heaven.

At the meeting, Jake apologized to her for letting her come to that. Marley then joked about Jake being half-Jewish, asking if he floats to heaven at half speed. When Kitty executed a fake rapture prank on Dottie Kazotori, Marley was incredibly upset about that so she told Jake that she didn't like Kitty and couldn't believe that he did. She stood up and left Jake speechless.

When Marley started walking away from the site, she noticed that Santana and Brittany were arguing.

While Santana was trying to convince a stubborn Brittany to abandon Kitty's club, Brittany said she wasn’t leaving and that being left behind sucked, which was what Santana had done to her and it hurt her. The blonde left immediately, leaving the brunette bewildered.

Marley wanted to approach the brunette to ask her if she wanted to go somewhere and talk a little, but when she took two steps, the Latina immediately went after the blonde. And, well… she tried.

Now she understood why the Latina was in Lima. Marley had seen how Brittany had been inseparable from Sam lately and perhaps that threatened her relationship with Santana.

Maybe the next day, if she saw her, Marley would tell her that if she needed to talk to someone, she could trust her, like Santana did with Marley that time in the bathroom.

Marley didn't see Santana for months.

…

..

.

* * *

And then several months went by and Marley was still confused over the fact that Mr. Schue was leaving, and Finn was taking over New Directions until he returned from his sabbatical.

When Finn mentioned “Grease” as the next school musical, her eyes emanated a shooting stars shower from the happiness that she felt. That day was one of the best days Marley ever had and it turned out to be even better when Jake confronted his girlfriend to stop insulting her and since the blonde had no intention of doing so, Jake broke up with her in front of Marley.

As much as Marley knew that she had earned Kitty's anger and hatred in full and that she was probably going to do everything to destroy her for the rest of her life, she cared more about the fact that Jake did it just for her.

Once Kitty left, Marley told Jake that he didn't need to do that, but Jake responded that he actually did have to. She invited Jake to go over “Grease” music saying that she wanted to go for Sandy, but he promptly declined and said that he’d see her in Glee rehearsal.

‘Baby steps’ thought Marley with a goofy smile.

…

..

.

* * *

Marley swore by all the saints, angels and virgins who lived in heaven that she had not changed her eating habits.

She swore it.

What she couldn't understand was how she could keep gaining weight. Every day that went by, Tina tried to fit Marley into her outfit. It was embarrassing to see how she was the only one suffering from that problem.

This time it was Kitty who interrupted to get her costume fitting and started making jabs about Marley's weight saying that Marley has had some considerable weight gain. Which caused Marley to have almost a mental breakdown due to the stress and despair she was feeling.

It confused her even more when Kitty invited her to a slumber party, which Marley agreed to go to so long as Unique could came as well.

Little did she know that she would end up in Kitty’s bathroom talking about bulimia.

And little did she know, thanks to her innocence, that the blonde's real plan was to humiliate and hurt her in front of all her friends. Or at least those she considered her friends. So, there was Marley… just standing with her arms attached to each side of her body, contemplating while Kitty performed Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee, mocking her as Brittany, Unique, Sugar, and Tina looked on.

Marley walked out offended by Kitty and the rest of the girls.

Marley wondered a thousand times why people were so mean sometimes before falling asleep with tears streaming down her cheeks.

…

..

.

* * *

The following week was really … eventful.

Unique gave her the news that they pull Unique out of the play because her parents were worried about her safety after knowing that she has been bullied in the hallways of the school.

Marley was so infuriated and unhappy about it. It was so unfair. She asked her who was going to replace her and found out that it was going to be Santana. The only thing that she was sure was that Santana had an incredible voice and that surely, she was going to kill it on the stage.

But that was not the only thing that happened.

Marley no longer knew if it was nerves to go on stage or it was the voluntary impulse to want to puke to see if she could lose weight that had led her to want to vomit in one of the cubicles in the bathroom.

“Marley? Marley stop! Why are you doing that?” Ryder tried to stop her immediately once he discovered it was her who was gagging, retching and coughing endlessly. 

“Why do you think? My mom’s the town joke, and I’m going to end up just like her.”

“Well, sticking your fingers down your throat is only gonna make things worse.”

Marley straightened to her feet in resignation and went to the washroom to freshen up her face a little to calm her state of despair. It was obvious that he wouldn't understand her, least of all Ryder who was the boy who fit all the society’s standards and Ryder was simply perfect as he was.

Marley wasn't that lucky.

She tried eating as healthy and as little as possible to lose weight but every time she failed. She tried to exercise as much as possible (like walking to and from school each day, doing loads of quiet exercises in her room) but she was still gaining pounds. It made her self-esteem even lower when she saw girls from her school post photos of themselves half-naked, and she spent (secretly) hours on end comparing and wishing she had their perfect bodies. She didn't talk about any of her home life or her feelings with her friends, but every time she did try to give hints on how she was feeling they didn’t seem to care anyway.

She was so scared about people making fun of her about her that she started to wear a zipped up jacket. and whenever she forget her jacket on the way to school, she end up being really insecure for the whole day or she’ll go up to the office and try to borrow one (on a very rare occasion when it’s very, very cold though because the office lady thought she didn’t need one and wouldn’t let her have it). The looks she got from Kitty, who was always talking to other cheerleaders as they all turned to look at her, didn't help at all.

And She was so tired of it.

So tired… it was exhausting.

Marley was beginning to suspect that she was either going to fall into a deep depression or end up crazy.

She was about to kick him out when Ryder started reciting a funny story about his cousin to lift her spirits. It really worked and they ended up laughing at the tragic incident their cousin had.

“I would never use laxatives”, Marley promised him with a smile, grateful to him for raising her spirits. For a few minutes, she felt her body relaxing a bit.

“Well, I don’t want to kiss a girl who’s got puke in her breath. Either on stage… or later”, her best friend came up to her and made that big little confession, which confused Marley a little more because she could have said something at that moment... she could have let him know that she felt comfortable in the way they were now, but, at that moment... she felt another feeling inside which made her change her mood and become a little anxious.

Maybe she wanted to kiss him too?

“Now, come on. We’re on five.” Ryder decided to leave her alone for a moment while she fought with her mind and heart about what she was going to do.

Her mind kept repeating, _'It always ends badly when there is more than one person involved_ ’.

She ignored it.

Of course, she did.

…

..

.

* * *

The performance was more than astounding, marvelous.

Ryder, Marley, and the rest of Grease's cast got a glowing review from a critic in the McKinley Muckraker, to which they ended throwing a huge night party to celebrate. Ryder stayed all night with her, without taking his arm off her waist and finding thousands of excuses to steal kisses from her.

Marley was so happy that she really thought she wasn’t going to have another moment that would get over that day. That day definitely became one of those memories to remember forever.

They were so focused on laughing at how their partners were doing funny dance steps that they didn't notice anyone approaching them.

“Jeez man, you’re so clingy that’s already getting on my nerves. Let her breath a minute, would you? Go and refill our cups, I'll take care of your girl here. Now vanish…shoo shoo!” Santana put the two cups that she had in her hands against Ryder's chest, who immediately grabbed them so they wouldn't fall out and as he looked at Marley without understanding what was happening, the Latina began to push him so that he would go away and leave them alone for a moment.

“That was rude, Santana”, Marley simply looked at the brunette with bewilderment. She honestly didn't know why she was behaving that way. Maybe it made her uncomfortable to see them so happy with each other while she was single right now? That would be very selfish of her.

“Whatever”

They remained in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes while Marley watched in the distance as Ryder waited to prepare the drinks.

“So, I see you still have two boyfriends and can't make up your mind which one you want. You know, this seems like living on a tv show, wait, what was it called? Oh! I remember now. Doña Flor y sus dos maridos. You’re the new _Florcita_ ” when Marley turned her head to look at her, Santana was wearing one of her typical evil smiles. It was as if she was enjoying it. Her eyes were shining in a particular way and it seemed that her smile was getting bigger and bigger as she saw how she was making Marley uncomfortable. It was maddening.

“I don’t –

“Then why is he looking at this direction every five seconds?” Santana pointed at Jake shamelessly and the boy started laughing out loud with another girl pretending to pay attention to her.

“I just need more time”

“Or you could fulfill your fantasies and have a threesome with them. Too bad Ryder is very pale, otherwise you could be the only cream of the Oreo in there”

And at that precise moment, Sam appeared running and dragging Brittany to where almost the entire group was dancing in the middle of the room. Marley saw Santana's face harden even more.

“Ugh, where the hell is my drink?” Marley could see how the Latina had become somewhat uneasy with the sight they were having at the time.

“You could go and claim her, you know? It’s not too late.” At that very moment, she felt some sympathy for the girl and tried to advise her to do something to stop her suffering.

“So, why do I feel like she’s moving on too quickly? Huh?”

Marley eyes didn’t miss the moment when Santana had to take a deep breath before speaking and she knew it was because the latina was so close to crying. Santana just smiled and she spotted Ryder approaching them with their red cups, she almost crushed into him as she stole her drink without saying goodbye and left the room.

“Wow, is she always like that?” Ryder asked her as he handed her drink. Marley just shrugged her shoulders not knowing what to say and watched Santana walk away.

…

..

.

* * *

What Marley had never imagined was that her life could get worse.

If someone had told her that she was going to be the reason that Glee Club was going to be disqualified... she would never have believed it and might even have laughed.

But sadly, it was. _That_ happened and she couldn't control it.

Everything began to spin senselessly, the floor looked like lava or quicksand (Marley couldn't make up her mind since her brain wasn't working well), her eyes were closing, and a strange sensation of heat began to suffocate Marley.

The numerous lights on the stage and the shouts of the audience were the ones that ended her lucidity and… then everything went black.

Marley felt a dark tunnel absorb her into a deep sleep from which it was very difficult for her to wake up.

…

..

.

* * *

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

It was that sound that brought her back to the earthly world. Gradually Marley was hearing movements, other machine noises that she didn’t know what they could be, and voices mixing in the distance.

With some effort, Marley managed to open her eyes a little to see that she was in a bed and in a room that immediately identified the place could be the hospital. Her head looked like it was about to explode and her body was very listless, she felt so… weak. And then she remembered what had happened.

Her blackout at Sectionals.

That moment was when Marley knew she had hit rock bottom. What she didn't know was how she was going to get out of there, until the least unexpected person showed up in the room where she had been admitted for a few days to get her body and health back.

“You look like the Grim reaper, _Florcita_ ”

Marley couldn’t understand what was happening, her eyes were trying to adjust to the light in the room and her mind was just beginning to want to function.

“Before you ask, I'm here because, apparently, for Finnocence being a mentor means being a nanny, and well, I have nothing better to do and a _small_ part of me feels bad for not helping you. Don't tell anyone I told you this because bad things are going to happen... and well... here I am” Santana had shown up with a bag that had Vogue magazines in it. Uninvited, she found a chair to sit next to Marley while she picked up one and began reading them.

“Ok?” was the only thing Marley could say. Her voice was a little raspy and weak. What else could she say? It was obvious that she couldn’t contradict the brunette, not while her body was barely coming to life and her brain still seemed to be slowly awakening.

“So, I'm gonna tell you how this is gonna work. I'm not gonna deal with you, I'm not a babysitter and I think you're a smart little Berry. So, from now on I'm going to be like your _shadow_ , I'm going to share all your meals to make sure you get back on your feet. I'm going to help you prepare for your next competition and remember your only job here is to make only _one_ person look good, and that person is not _you_.” Santana's index finger pointed at her threateningly.

“ _Me_ dumbass, ugh”

Marley didn't know whether to be grateful or worried about having Santana as her mentor. She thought she’ll find out soon enough.

But for now, she plunged back into a deep sleep without warning.

…

..

.

* * *

"Maybe if you keep improving like you're doing these days, maybe you'll be home by the weekend." As her eyes tried to open and adjust to the light of a new day, her ears were attentive to what she had just heard. Luckily, she had the company during all those days of an already old nurse who treated her as if she were her granddaughter, so she was more than kind and careful with her. The lady had platinum blonde hair that was neither too long nor too short. You could barely see her eyebrows, which were so blonde that you could hardly see them. Her eyes were dark blue and her voice conveyed such peace that Marley really enjoyed her presence.

"That's fabulous news! Thank you very much!" saying it was good news wasn't enough. Marley couldn't wait to get out of that place. It wasn't because the care was bad, quite the opposite, but being home was always better than being in the hospital, right?

"But you need to eat, my little girl. Okay? I don't want to go back into a room and see your pretty face there because of a relapse." the good woman spoke to her, giving her a warm smile but letting her know she meant it every word.

"I'll try." Marley returned her smile.

Marley immediately smiled broadly when she saw Unique open the door to enter the room, after the nurse left with the tray on which she had brought her lunch. She was one of the few people who visited her almost every day. Soon Marley frowned as she saw that the girl was serious and even upset.

"So, when exactly were you going to tell me that none other than Santana fucking Lopez was now your mentor?"

“Unique, hi” Marley greeted her first but the other girl rolled her eyes, asking her to go straight to the interesting stuff. “I didn't think it was such a big deal to tell”

"What!? Marley, it's something much more than important! We're _best friends_ , we're supposed to trust each other with everything." Marley could see in the other girl's eyes that she was really disappointed and sad.

"You're right, I'm sorry, but I really... I didn't think you'd be so alarmed to know that–"

"I don't trust her, Marley. You just see the best in everyone, but please don't underestimate her. That girl is a bad person and if she wants to do you a favor now... you should have a hundred eyes open because something is up or she will ask you to do something for her claiming the help she's giving you" Unique interrupted her apology. Marley could sense that her friend was really worried although for her it was an overreaction "She's the typical HBIC who always bullies us Marley. Even more so now that Brittany secretly married Sam because they thought the world was coming to an end. Everyone's talking about how she became the meanest person here, even more than Sue. Be careful."

“She did what?” Marley asked very confused. The only thing she knew at that moment was that Santana had traveled to Lima every weekend to fight for her relationship with Brittany and then she had stopped coming after their breakup. Marley knew the brunette was suffering from it when she saw the performance she gave as Rizzo on stage. Her voice had conveyed so much feeling that Marley could swear that even Brittany had felt it too when she watched her as her blue eyes almost tear up when Santana left her heart in that song. Marley could sense that her friend was talking to her with concern, so she simply nodded her head.

"Okay, I'll be careful with Santana."

"Did I hear wrong or did the nurse say maybe you could go home this weekend?" once her friend felt relaxed about Marley's promise, they changed the subject completely. Marley began to nod her head euphorically and Unique approached her bed to hug her tightly and share that joy.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear this! You must promise me that from now on you will focus on yourself and stay away from any stressful situation. You need some peace" Unique said seriously again and as Marley was about to make her promise, they heard noises outside the room in the hallway.

"Your boyfriends are fighting over who's going to read you the next book" Santana entered the room holding a tray with a couple of pills, a metal pitcher and a glass of water. Her eyes fell on Unique saying _'you were saying?_ ' and Unique simply rolled her eyes in response.

“What’s that?” Marley asked her curiously since no one had told her that she was going to start taking medicine and since Unique told her so many times to be careful with the Latina, she had to make sure she wasn't going to poison her or anything.

"The nurse gave me your medicines to test if your stomach can tolerate them, so they'll stop giving them to you intravenously. Thank God. It's about time, it looks like the needle's about to pierce your bones, girl."

The Latina explained as she approached Marley’s bed, staring at Unique that had no intention of moving away from her friend and giving Santana room to come over and give her those pills.

“Unique”, Marley shook her friend's hand that was resting on the bed near her left leg before Santana started to insult her and so she had to witness another fight but this time inside her room. Unique just snorted and left room for the cheerleader to help Marley sit up in bed and take her medicine.

"I gotta go Marls, take care" Unique told Marley and she just nodded her head as she tried to swallow the pills. ‘ _I don't trust her’_ , her best friend moved her lips so that only Marley would understand what she meant, taking advantage of the fact that she was behind Santana so she couldn't see her.

“Thanks, Santana”

Marley expressed her gratitude while the latina took her glass to place the tray with all the things on a table. The brunette simply nodded her head. Marley noticed that the Latina's eyes were staring at something very hard at Marley and when she lowered her face to see what it was, she noticed that her clavicle was too prominent and even pinkish due to the muscle weakness and the thinness of Marley. She immediately covered herself with the sheets and felt embarrassed about the state she was in and even disgusted with herself.

"You should rest" her mentor recommended her while she sat on a chair by the side of the bed, looking for her iPhone. Marley was trying to look out the window at what Jake and Ryder were doing in the hallway. "Don't worry, as long as I'm here they won't come and bother you" she said without taking her attention off her cell phone.

Luckily, she only had a few more days left there and then she could return home. Marley decided that once she was in her own house and resuming her normal routine, that was going to be the time when she would analyze what Santana had told her. But for now, she needed to enjoy the peacefulness and focus on her physical and mental recovery.

…

..

.

* * *

“Marley! Breakfast is ready!”

“Comming!”, the teenager replied to her mother as she began to walk down the stairs wearing only one of her older, worn-out t-shirts that she used to wear to bed, trying to fix her hair that was unkempt from just getting out of bed.

Marley almost fell down the stairs when she saw Santana sitting down and putting jam on the toast she was holding in her hand.

"Oh my god! What are you doing here Santana?", her first reaction was to ask her what the reason was for her presence on a Monday morning at six o'clock, sitting next to her mother waiting for her for breakfast.

"I didn't know Ms. Lopez is your mentor, Marley” She had never seen her mother's eyes shine as happily as they did that day.

"It’s just Santana, please” the brunette said sympathetically and smiling kindly at her mother, which upset Marley because she had never seen her act that way before.

"Santana offered to help you in Glee club, improve your eating habits and even get you into Cheerios. I even offered to pay her something in exchange for such dedication, but she refused at every turn. Isn't she an angel, Marls?"

Marley was just smiling uncomfortably trying to stretch out her shirt as much as she could to cover her panties when she saw Santana's eyes were hovering over her body. She knew that she was too skinny and she felt even more than uncomfortable with the examination that the brunette was doing to her since she had a body of a goddess and obviously in her mind she must have been thinking how disgusting her body was in such extreme thinness.

"I'm going to change my clothes. I'll be right back," said Marley, and she hurried back up the stairs. As she went into her room, she closed the door immediately and rested her back against the wood and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. She was a little embarrassed to know that no one but Santana had become the first person to see her humble and simple home, being that the Latina belonged to a very wealthy family and led a completely different life than she did. Besides, she had a body sculpted by Venus herself and now she could see how unattractive Marley was. Something that already affected her even before she was hospitalized. She had to work on her self-esteem and didn't know if Santana was going to be the best assistant in that. She also had to add that her mentor now knew what her life was like and had begun to interact with her mother, the person she loved the most in this world. Marley had heard all the rumors about how the Latina was one of the worst bullies in McKinley and was terrified of what she could do to humiliate her and her beloved mother.

The Latina in a couple of days had already known ninety percent of her intimate life that she tried so hard to hide so she could finish her studies in peace during all these years.

Marley had planned in her future, once she finished high school, to introduce her boyfriend of the moment to her true self, where she had grown up, how and her greatest treasure that was her mother who worked all her life so that she would never lack anything so that she could fulfill her dreams. One day that person, her true love, was going to know her whole life. Her true self. But there she was, with Santana spoiling all her illusions and threatening her inner peace.

Maybe Unique was right after all. Marley should have been more cautious around Santana López.

…

..

.

* * *

“Good morning chicken legs”, Santana greeted her as she prepared a shake that looked pretty weird and gross to Marley. She was still having trouble acclimating to the idea of seeing someone else in her house every day and even more so to the idea that Santana was coming with good intentions to help her. Marley knew that she was the one who talked to New Directions to get everyone to apologize to her, but she also knew that the Latina could be quite evil. Everyone knew that phase of her, so Marley knew she had to have all her senses wide open around her.

“Can you at least be honest with me and tell me what you are doing here?”, Marley decided to go straight to the point.

“Having breakfast with you before we start our new routine”, the Latina replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What are you talking about?”, Marley was puzzled by the routine the girl had just told her.

“Are you deaf or did the malnutrition atrophy your ears too?” the brunette turned this time looking seriously and somewhat annoyed. Marley couldn't hide that what Santana had just told her had touched her a little. How could she trust someone who took her problem as a joke?

“Stop being mean to me, Santana. I don’t want your help if you’re going to treat me like that. I’ve already have enough in my life right now with Kitty to put up with you too”, Marley got up in a very bad mood and was about to go to her room when she felt a hand grab her arm to stop her.

“I know”, the Latina stared sympathetically at Marley. Her eyes were trying to silently apologize. “That’s why I want you to help you with getting in on the cheerios team. Besides, I was being an honest bitch. You already know that. Now, you’re gonna eat those toast and drink what I’ve just made for us. I’m even gonna force you to open your mouth to show me that you’ve swallowed them if I have to”

Marley sat down again next to the brunette, rolling her eyes and having one of those toasts. She had no choice.

“What?”, managed to say Marley in a voice drowned out by the toast she was chewing.

“I’m watching you. You haven’t swallowed yet.”, Santana explained to her without taking her eyes off it. Marley rolled her eyes and swallowed what she had chewed and opened her mouth to show her that she had eaten.

“Happy?”

Latina could be very intense and unbearable when she set out to be.

“Very much, you're gonna need to charge up because we're gonna jog for two hours as a morning warm-up”

‘ _Oh my dear God’_ was what crossed Marley's mind. She was beginning to get the feeling that she was starting a new phase in her life. 

…

..

.

* * *

“First, we’re gonna eat a light, healthy meal rich in protein, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables before each jogging session”, Santana started giving Marley tips while stretching their legs before they started jogging. 

“Second, go for distance rather than time - slow it down, be patient, and don't worry about your pace. And tell me every time you need to slow down, ok? I don’t want you to faint on the pavement”, Marley rolled her eyes when she heard the last.

“Third, keep an even rate of breathing while running and breathe with your belly—that is, take deep breaths into your stomach rather than shallow breaths into your chest”

“Stay hydrated while you run”, the Latina showed her that she had a bottle of mineral water in her little backpack in case they felt thirsty. “And then I’m gonna help you stretch your muscles”

“Thank you, Santana. No. Really. I thought this was a joke and you were going to –”, Marley decided to thank her once she saw how seriously Santana was talking to her. Perhaps it was true that she was doing it because she really wanted to help her, and Marley had to let her know how grateful she was for that.

“Make your life a living hell? Maybe. Only if you don't cooperate” The Latina completed her sentence with a broad smile. It was clear that she was going to enjoy doing bad things if Marley didn't cooperate.

“Just, thank you for everything you are doing for me”, the younger girl told her again, ignoring how Santana was trying to threaten her. Marley stared at her trying to get the Latina to realize that she wasn't talking specifically because of that moment but also because she had helped her with her mom's problem. So, without thinking twice, she decided to go over and give her a hug even though she could sense how tense the other girl was. Was it that she didn't like being hugged? Wasn't she used to it? Marley didn't know what to think, but what she did know was that it was one of the most uncomfortable hugs she'd ever given anyone in her entire life.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go already”, the Latina simply patted her on the back as if to say _'let go of me_ ’ before she walked away from her and started running.

Her mentor was definitely one of those people who were affected by bad people and who found it hard to trust others. She had a feeling they were going to be good friends after all.

…

..

.

* * *

Marley had to ask for a break after 15 minutes.

This was not going to be easy at all and she realized how fragile and weak her body felt.

"How does it feel to start a new life outside Lima?" Marley asked her as she tried to calm her breath. Her heart seemed to be beating so hard that it felt like it was about to come out of her chest or it was a sign that she was going to have a heart attack. She had never exercised as much as she did that day with Santana.

“Fucking amazing”, the brunette answered her reluctantly and Marley couldn't resist and continue the conversation, she really wanted to get a little closer to the other girl. Not just have a mentor/apprentice relationship.

“Are you here because you missed being in Lima? I know that it may be hard staying away from here knowing that Brittany is–”

“First, stop talking like you know me”, The Latina responded cruelly, but when she saw Marley's sad look, she let out a frustrated sigh and began to speak. “Things changed and now… I just don’t know how to feel about it” Marley could see how hard the Morena was trying to open up a little, so she smiled sweetly in response that she could trust her and for some reason, she succeeded. “I thought that Kentucky was what I’ve always wanted but, turned out it wasn’t, and I’m starting to doubt that coming to Lima was a great idea”. Marley didn't know how to respond to that. Clearly the brunette felt quite lost and didn't know if it was something more personal, family or her relationship with the blonde... she just didn't know, so she decided to let it go. Maybe she shouldn't push it anymore. 

"Every night I think about what it would be like to go to New York. Sometimes I'm scared, but I think the anxiety gets the best of me. To leave everything behind and go to a place where no one knows my past and just dedicate myself to realizing my dream… I think it’s amazing”

“Yeah…”

The brunette just nodded her head, although she didn't really think so. Although the Latina always showed herself to be a very strong person and that she easily overcame everything, what she found most difficult and terrifying was the changes. And this year she was living constant changes leaving her puzzled all the time.

When they decided to stop to take a break for a second time, helping Marley to acclimatize slowly, Marley immediately recognized Brittany running towards Santana who was on her back. The brunette didn't know whether to warn her mentor or not, but when the blonde was approaching, she smiled at her, telling her not to say anything, so she decided to do nothing.

“So, I was thinking that we should go –Umph!! What the–”

“Hi guys! What are you doing here?”, Brittany had jumped over Santana to hang on to her, risking both of them falling to the ground. Marley could see right away how the brunette had tensed up in front of the blonde and was trying to get rid of her. She had never seen Santana so uncomfortable and acting so strange before. Even with her, Santana had never behaved like that, even though they were just beginning to know each other a little more.

“Hi Britt, uh… Santana is my mentor and she offered to train me a little as you can see”, Marley decided to break the silence. Seeing that the brunette had no intention of talking to the blonde.

“That’s very sweet of you San”, Brittany flattered Santana as she untangled her arms from the petite one, realizing that the Latina had been trying to get rid of her all along. It was as if the blonde was burning her and Santana couldn't stand Brittany touching her. The blonde looked into her eyes smiling sadly and Santana became even more serious. Marley realized that she had already been left out of the conversation and began to slowly withdraw to give the former couple time to talk. Marley started walking towards a tree that was a few feet away to give them space and find an excuse to stretch out a little. Every now and then her eyes would peep in the direction of the girls and she could see the mixture of anger and pain that Santana conveyed with her body language alone. Not to mention the ice-cold stare she gave Brittany, who was only trying to break down the barriers that Santana had built.

“Just stop it Britt, I need some space now” Santana let go her best friend's hands, trying to keep her distance, while keeping her eyes on the ground.

“I want us to be okay again, I–” Marley watched as the blonde tried to approach the Latina, trying to hold her face with her hands so that Santana would look into her eyes even for a few seconds. As if she needed her to see something in her own eyes.

“I’m not okay! Can’t you understand that?” What little patience was left in her mentor had been extinguished. The brunette's tone of voice pleaded with Brittany to leave her alone, to realize that she was really suffering and not yet ready to be her friend like before.

Marley watched as tears began to fall on the face of Brittany who was still shocked and frightened by the reaction she had gotten from Santana. Marley could tell she wasn't used to that treatment.

Santana let out an exasperated sigh and began to run away from the blonde.

Marley waited a few seconds and slowly trotted over to her partner who had her head down trying to wipe away her tears. She honestly didn't know what to do at that moment, but she believed that Santana was the person who needed her help the most at this time. Brittany... well, she had Sam for anything. Santana had no one. That was the difference.

“I just… I’m gonna…” Marley only said almost in a whisper as Brittany sadly nodded her head, leaving the younger one to go after her ex-girlfriend. Marley apologized with a half-smile to the blonde and started running to catch up with her mentor.

Marley used all her energy to run as much as she could and while she looked around trying to locate Santana somewhere. It took her about fifteen minutes to find the brunette who was sitting in front of an artificial lake, with her knees against her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs.

Marley slowed down and walked slowly towards her. She could see the clouds were gathering, making the day a little greyer and making the situation sadder.

Great.

“Hey”, Marley made her presence known before sitting next to Santana. “So, that was–”

“What are you doing here, Sticks? Isn't it your time to throw up or something?”

“Why can't you just be nice to me?” Marley was getting tired of dealing with the girl's reactions. As much as she knew Santana wanted to show that cold bitch side to make her go away and leave her alone, Marley deep down knew she was actually hurting.

“So why are you here with me if you know I treat you so bad? Huh? I’m the meanest and toxic person that you’ve ever met. I’m angry and moody all the fucking time, I’m a shitty friend, a bad influence on everyone and selfish and–and you… you are–”, Santana burst into a fit of tears, sobbing loudly. “Everyone leaves me for someone better”, the girl managed to say as the tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably and Marley ran immediately opening her arms to Santana and crushing her body into hers. The brunette had such a... broken look. Her eyes reflected how her soul was slowly and painfully crumbling and collapsing. Perhaps her pain seemed so deep because Marley had never seen her like that before. Santana wasn’t an open person, she didn't talk about her emotions, so Marley could sense that what happened with her ex-girlfriend was really tormenting her strongly inside.

“Hush”, Marley leaned forward and enveloped her mentor in her arms “Stop saying bad things about yourself, Santana. I think you’re tough, brave and an incredible woman. You’ve recently been through hard times and lost a lot of self-confidence and that’s not the López I’ve met, ok? You're far from selfish, Santana.” She paused. “In fact, you're the most generous person I know. Leaving your craziness aside, of course”, she tried to joke around a bit to ease the girl’s pain. Santana’s arms were squeezing too tight in the embrace. Almost rough. Snuggling, her breath ghosted over the curve of her neck. Marley’s body and brain were wide awake and so deeply confused about what she was feeling in that moment. That should’ve been her first clue about her. She ignored her initial instincts that day. 

“You’re amazing, Santana. I couldn’t ask for a better mentor and _friend_. _Yes_ , we’re friends.” Marley repeated again to affirm what she was saying when she saw that her mentor did not believe what she was hearing.

“I’m not the easiest person to make friends”

Well, that was true. How could she deny it?

“I know, but you’re worth it” Marley tried to make Santana believe her and she hugged her again tightly.

“You’re something else, Marley Rose” the brunette once told him that she broke the hug and wiped away her tears.

“So, do you want to tell me what’s been going on between you two?” her eyes connected for a few seconds until the Latina resigned herself and began to speak.

“Long story short. Since I moved out from Lima, I noticed that we weren’t happy. Distance was complicated and I saw Brittany falling into depression and– I–I thought the best thing was to break up and so she could focus on graduating this year and then… I-I thought she could move in with me and–” Santana swallowed hard, took a deep breath. Marley was rubbing her back, implying her to keep talking. Although she hadn't finished that sentence, Marley could tell that what she meant was that once Brittany could move in with her, they could resume their relationship and be happy together. “But evidently she got over our breakup and is now happily married to Vagina–”

“Santana”, Marley interrupted her, trying to get her to stop saying those ugly nicknames but the Latina just rolled her eyes ignoring her. “What did Brittany say to you earlier that made you explode?”

“She told me that she missed me and that she wanted us to stay best friends” Santana said as he looked out over the lake. "She hurt me, okay? I know my decision may not have been the best, but I thought it was what we both needed at the time. At least I didn't take it as a definitive breakup... the idea was–” _'the idea was to take some time to focus on our lives and then live together and focus 100 percent on our relationship',_ Marley was able to decipher the message implicit in that silence. “–And I don't know if I can be her friend. Not now."

Anyone who didn't know Santana, like Marley, and was only guided by the comments that were flying around about her bad reputation, would think that the cheerios co-captain would be the first to get over the relationship and get another girlfriend and not the other way around. But Marley was only now beginning to get to know Santana more intimately and had to admit that certain attitudes made her a little uneasy.

Before Santana ran away, Marley felt the need to get closer and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck in a friendly embrace. What amazed her was how tense Santana had become about what Marley was doing. Did she always react this way when someone wanted to hug her? Marley couldn't quite understand how some people are reluctant to show affection. How damaged can a person be? 

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you a hug to seal the friendship” Marley smiled back at her without taking her arms off her. "You need to relax and hug me back, you know? That's mostly how it works”. She thought she was going to get an unfriendly response but, once again, the brunette surprised her by starting to relax her body and placing her arms around her waist.

“You need to let her go” Marley whispered in her ear and in response Santana hugged her tighter. Sometimes actions speak louder than words and Marley was sure that Santana meant to say, _'I know'_.

They remained like this for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth of the embrace and the enveloping silence of the park.

By the end of the day, Marley thought that Santana hugs were the best.

…

..

.

* * *

Santana started going to Marley's house to prepare breakfast every day, and so introduce her mother to the new diet that she also wanted to participate so she could support her daughter, too. Marley began to get up earlier to join in the preparation of breakfast and thus share laughter and joy with her mom and her new friend who never ceased to amaze her how Santana got along so well with her mother being that she was not at all the stereotype of the people that the Latina used to surround herself with. Maybe Santana wasn't what she appeared to be and that made Marley happy. It felt good to feel accepted.

While Santana was laughing out loud at something her mom was telling her, Marley was smiling and looking at them appreciating the moment and in an instant Santana turned her concentration on her and winked at her with a big mischievous smile.

“Your mom is amazing. I love her”

“I’m glad to know that. She really is amazing, huh? She’s everything to me. I owe my whole life to that woman” Marley said, and Santana surprised her by hugging her tightly.

Marley promised herself to stop judging a book by its cover but by its content.

Like Santana.

Clearly Marley had in front of her a pandora's box full of surprises and that friendship was just beginning. Only she didn't know what would happen once she opened that box.

* * *

**Tell me what you thought ♥**


	2. Didn't I make it obvious?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that the first chapter was going to unfold slowly in terms of their relationship. Well, you're just going to have to keep waiting. But I think it's going to be for a good cause ;)  
> Also, be considerate. I post this quickly without almost correcting it so there must be a lot of mistakes. My apologies.

The thing Santana hated the most was routine and unfortunately that's what her life had become once she had entered what is called " _adulthood_ ". No one prepares you for what you are going to face. No one tells you what really _is_ what we all call " _reality_ ".

It's bullshit.

And that's a deep truth.

What do parents say or teach their children at school? _‘Study hard, prepare yourself so that when you are an adult you can fulfill all your dreams and be happy forever.’_

Fucking liars.

Nobody tells you that life is hard, that if you study and make an effort you can make a difference in your future... but that doesn't guarantee anything. They give you a summary in just three steps.

You have to go to school, get into college and get a job.

No one tells you that your best time as a teenager ends up being wasted busting your ass to get a degree and then spending hours and hours locked up or trapped in your "dream job”. Or worse, you just end up taking any lousy job to make a living.

No one tells you that all that comes is responsibilities, worries and debts to pay. 

And that's just why Santana believed that people are so focused and desperate to find love even for a few minutes. That helps you escape from fucking reality, even if it ends badly and makes you feel more shitty than you already did.

Yeah.

That’s real-life people. So, suck it up.

Santana thought about all of this as she lay in bed in the middle of the night staring blindly at the ceiling of her room, waiting for her phone alarm to go off signaling that it was time to get ready and pick up Marley to begin her workout routine.

To think that when she was just a little girl, she couldn't wait to be older and manage her own life and, now that she's reached that stage that she missed so much, she misses being a kid immensely. She missed being practically incarnate with Brittany and Quinn, rocking the world and having everyone on her damn feet. Being in control of her life. She missed those years where she was truly happy and didn't know it.

Now her life was aimless and, as much as she didn't need money to live, she had a feeling in her chest that something wasn't right. She felt lost and didn't know how to reverse the situation since she lost her scholarship.

Her days were summed up as follows: Trying to sleep, getting up, looking for a job since her parents (by whatsapp) ordered her to at least get one so she wouldn't be useless forever, complaining about life for the rest of the day and then going home to repeat the steps again.

The only thing that broke the scheme was Marley Rose. Although Santana found it hard to admit that the only good part of her day was when she spent a couple of hours with her and her mother.

She felt... less alone.

In her home, on the other hand, the silence tormented her so much that she felt herself drowning more and more. Her parents had gotten separate jobs in different cities and decided to try for a few months as ‘work experience and explore new horizons’. In short, they decided to take some time out of their daily lives, and it didn't take them long to leave their only daughter alone in their home.

And then, the image of Brittany would pass through her head, causing Santana to release a painful sigh. So, she got out of bed to roll her own joint to better digest the whirlwind of good times they had spent together that she knew would once again haunt her mind.

So, yeah. After many years together mixed with tragedy and ecstasy, Santana and Brittany broke up.

It might sound tragic and exaggerated, but from that day on when they decided to distance themselves, Santana's world began to fall apart so quickly that the brunette couldn't even react. She lost her scholarship in Louisville, her girlfriend and best friend, and her family was practically non-existent. She had lost everything. And what do you do when you're in another city and you find yourself lost? You go home. Ohio. In this case. Which, actually, on second thought, she didn't know if it was the best thing to do but, well, her instincts made her go back to Lima. Obviously, the people of that damn place already knew about her return before she could confirm it. As much as Lima was a city, it was more like a town in terms of gossip. Bloody villagers. Santana knew that, along with Brittany, they had become the big talk of the town for years. Yes, the life of these creeps was so boring that discovering that two cheerleaders were lesbians apparently disturbed everyone.

When Brittany started dating Sam, even more comments and criticism rained down on them (that's how she found out about her marriage). The latina literally felt like a Hollywood star and although everyone found it hard to believe... it bothered her a lot.

It doesn’t matter how famous anyone is, the hurt, regret, and despair at seeing the person you still love married someone else is a bitter pill to swallow. So many thoughts and feelings went through her mind and heart that she couldn’t stand feeling like that anymore.

The only thing Santana appreciated was that Brittany didn't decide to throw a party to celebrate their marriage and invite her because, obviously, the bride wanted to remain ‘friends’ and would ask her to come. That would have been too much for the brunette.

Santana was already tired of hearing that she had to get over it and ‘move on’. Yes, she was supposed to do that, but what people didn't understand was that it took time and a lot of healing. Every single day it raises the question of _how do you move on with your life after losing the one you love, the person you thought you might grow old with_? ‘Cause she was brought up with the belief, and was told repeatedly, that there was the one special person out there for her. The latina knew that Brittany was the one because she couldn't see herself in her life without her by her side. And that's what soul mates do, right? She'd known her since she was four years old, and they'd been stuck with each other every day for years. They had no secrets, were always for each other in difficult times and knew each other like the back of their hands. How would Santana recreate something like that? More so in these days. People suck.

She simply understood and appreciated internally when Marley encouraged her to "move on" and she knew she had to. Living in the past with false and high expectations was not good for her physical or mental health.

And well, one-way Santana found to ease her pain a bit was a blog where a girl was writing about her breakup that had been a few days ago and she was going through something pretty much like the brunette. Sometimes it was more useful to deal with other people who were going through the same thing so she didn't feel so alone as she saw that, although there were people who had a normal and happy life, there were also those who were not doing as well as she was. And that's fine too. It's all part of a process that would surely take time.

Santana was reading a new post that the girl had made on her blog while entering McKinley High School when she felt so reflected on what the girl had written that she stopped for a few seconds in the middle of the hallway without realizing it.

‘As we get older our relationship needs change. If we have loved and lost our ‘first true love’ we need a time of reflection and time to heal. When we meet someone else please give them, and yourself, time. You may not feel that huge ‘rush’ of love or lust but given time you may come to realize the intimacy you feel will be different – not worse, just different, maybe even better. If you continue to look back with bitterness you will never find true love and contentment, only increasing personal sadness.

Losing the ‘love of our life’ to someone else is shattering. We ask, ‘Why couldn’t he/she love me as I loved them’? This is why love is such a lottery. Rare is it that both parties feel exactly the same. Even if they do that doesn’t guarantee success. If you have suffered this type of loss and you meet another be careful and gentle, he/she may have suffered a similar fate and, please do not think of this person as second best.

This is a cliché but it’s true: _that the loss of whom you thought was your ‘true’ love happened for a reason, and that reason is standing right in front of you_.’

As she continued to read, she felt that someone had tapped her on the shoulder which broke her concentration on her reading, and she was incredibly surprised to connect her eyes with Marley. It was evident that the girl had left a class as she was walking with Ryder who always took her things and accompanied her to the next class. As soon as Marley noticed her presence, she began to wave her hand and happily greeted Santana from down the hall.

_‘that reason is standing right in front of you’_

That phrase resonated in her mind and suddenly when the brunette began to process what she was thinking, she shook her head and began to laugh hysterically.

_‘Oh, my God. The hell to the no, Santana. You’ve been there, done that and wished you hadn’t. Didn't you learn the lesson of falling in love with your bisexual best friend? You want to trip over the same rock again and let me remind you that this time it's a thousand times worse, because the girl is straight. How low have you stooped reading this stuff and thinking it might be real? What the fuck is wrong with you? We're talking about Marley, Santana. MARLEY. What the actual fuck? You need to get laid. Like. Soon.’_

“Sand bags, I have a proposal for you”

Thank God someone came to her rescue and made her stop thinking all that bullshit. When she saw that Sue was leading her to her office, the brunette frowned, not knowing what her ex-coach was going to ask her.

“I’m all ears”, Santana said at once when she sat in front of her former coach, waiting impatiently.

“Let’s face facts. I need an heir apparent, and I need someone as mean as I am.” her former coach started talking to her sincerely as she intertwined her fingers while she placed her arms on the desk. Her gaze never stopped staring at the latina seriously. “With all this pregnancy stuff I'm dealing with, I need a replacement for a few months and what better idea than for a fierce Latina to do it.”

“Wait. So, are you offering me a job?” Santana suddenly clicked, processing what the lady was really offering.

“Finn Hudson took over the Glee Club. Why can’t you take over my Cheerios? Besides, you’ve always been my favorite.” Sue admitted smiling and then looked at her wristwatch and frowned as if it was a sign that she was late to do something. “I put my trust in you blindly. So, I hope you come back and welcome me with another victory trophy. If not, start digging your own hole in the ground so I can bury you alive” Sue simply patted the brunette on the shoulder “Oh, and you start tomorrow” Sue informed Santana and walked away, leaving her alone in the office processing what she had just heard.

The Latina didn't know what shocked her most, knowing that Sue was pregnant or that she trusted her so much that she gave her that job.

The only thing she thought was that now she could include Marley on the Cheerios and try to stop them from bullying her because of her financial situation and her mother's physical condition.

Besides, if she was going to win that trophy, she was going to need help and she could only think of two people who could help her. Marley and Brittany.

‘ _Okay, rule out the blonde_.’

Um… maybe another blonde? Quinn?

Okay. Seriously? Did she really think she was going to help her? Quinn? Santana should see a doctor and have a CT scan or something because her head had clearly stopped working.

Sue had given Santana her first job and she knew in advance that she was going to fail. Oh, man. She was definitely a dead girl.

“Santana, are you okay?” Marley's voice brought her back down to earth. The brunette turned her head to look at her apprentice at the door of Sue's office, staring at her, checking to see if she was okay. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost”.

“Ye–Yeah. It’s just that Sue wants me to be the new coach and replace her for a few months” Santana cleared her throat and stood up, shaking her dress and hair a bit, trying to gain composure.

“Oh my –that’s amazing! Congratulations Santana, you’re going to be the best coach so far. I can feel it in my bones” Before she knew it, the new coach felt two arms wrapped tightly around her neck. Santana felt Marley's perfume strongly invade her senses but in a pleasant and relaxing way. Her scent was a mixture of citrus, white orchid, jasmine petals, and pink lotus, over an earthy base of something… woody? Santana loved the essence of perfumes, so she knew very well how to distinguish their particularities. Anyway, all those components created a fresh scent and Santana decided that Marley smelled like rain on a spring day. Since when did she concentrate so much on how her apprentice smelled?

The hug was lasting a little longer than expected and Santana was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, so she cleared her throat and distanced herself from the girl.

_Shit._

“I don’t know. If I don’t win nationals and bring her that damn trophy that bitch is gonna chase me all over the country until I’m dead”, Santana drew conclusions and for a few seconds she and Marley remained silent.

“You’re gonna make it. I just know it. So, stop stressing out. Besides, I’m going to help you _now_ that I’m officially your _friend_ ” Marley gave her one of those cheesy smiles she always wore every time she mentioned that she was now Santana’s friend. The youngest girl hugged her again.

_‘Ugh, this girl with her hugs and smiles.’_

“About that–” Santana tried to remove Marley's arms and take some space between them again and explain her idea but was quickly interrupted.

“I know. You don't want the cheerleaders to see you with me. I get it” Marley untangled her arms from her neck and looked down sadly and disappointed. It wasn't until that moment that the Latina realized that they hugged twice in a few minutes. Okay. That was something new for her. Maybe she was getting used to the fact that the girl was one of those people who always needed to show her affection by touching someone's shoulder or arm, even holding their hands, or hugging them. In that sense she was very much like Brittany and Santana had only experienced it with the blonde and no one else. She liked hugging people or touching them, but she didn't like it when they did that to her. Was that weird? There is a such thing as personal space. The distance is about 3 feet. She obviously didn’t like her personal space invaded. Santana only needed to create that bond of trust first maybe. She wouldn't know how to explain it either.

“What? _No_. Nono. I wanted to ask you to join the cheerios”

Santana told her and she could see how a conflict of emotions was reflected in Marley's eyes. On the one hand, she was relaxed to see that the Latina felt no shame in being her friend, but Santana could tell she didn't like the idea of joining the cheerleading squad.

“I don’t know, Santana–” Marley started to walk away, and her eyes looked anywhere but at her.

“Just think about it for a second”, the Latina took her apprentice by the arm so that she could stop and stare into her eyes. “You could train, the cheerleaders would stop bothering you, you'd help me by letting me know anything evil they're planning, and I'd make sure no one could hurt you. I’d say it’s a win-win for both of us”

Marley didn't seem too convinced though.

“Hey, you're gonna be fine. I'm gonna take care of it” Santana took her hand and squeezed it a little, making sure it was all right. “Pinky promise?” her eyebrows raised, and she tried to smile politely to finish convincing the younger girl.

“Pinky promise?”

“I know what you’re thinking so, keep it to yourself and _yes_. Pinky promise! The most sacred, serious, vowel anyone can ever swear to. _Duh_ ”

“And I thought you were the most serious one here.” Marley finally gave in and linked their little fingers as she smiled teasingly.

“ _Ha, ha_. How funny. Did you eat a clown or something?” Santana immediately released Marley's hand and crossed her arms across her chest, staring at her and arching her eyebrow perfectly.

“Oh, my God. I don't want to see Kitty's face when she sees me at practice” Marley brought her hands to her face to hide her concern and regret.

“Don't even worry about that hoe. I got it figured out” The mentor immediately took her hands again and tried to stare at the girl to calm her down a bit.

Although the only thing Santana managed to do was to provoke the opposite effect.

“Ok. I’m worried now” Marley said with her big blue eyes expressing her restlessness and huge concern. Santana simply rolled her eyes at the response.

“I'm gonna ask Quinn to help me while she stays in Lima. That stupid kid adores her so, that's gonna keep her in check. See? Nothing to worry about”

“Yeah” The girl's insecure whispering affirmed the lack of confidence in the Latina, which was already frustrating her a little. What should she do to make Marley trust her? Did Marley have any doubts about her imposition on people? Kitty could be the new 'Quinn Fabray' if she were to list every time the Snixx herself put her in her place, everyone would recognize that even the blonde princess never deserved the privileged place she once had in school.

For that time, the Latina decided to let it go and asked Marley if she could join her during lunch and when they sat down at a table that was free, she saw Brittany greeting her shyly and smiling from afar as she continued talking to Sam.

“Are you going to ask her for help too?”

“I–I don’t know. I don’t think so” Suddenly that question made her swallow the food roughly and caused Santana to begin to feel uncomfortable.

“ _Okay_. Stop panicking. As a future cheerleader, I suggest you do it. And as your _friend_ , I would advise you to discuss it with her. You were best friends before you became a couple. I think you need to move on with your life and get your friendship back while you're at it” her new friend advised her and the ex-cheerleader had only gotten lost in a trance for a few seconds watching as Marley had the kindest blue eyes and how her smile was so entrancingly sweet that was almost anoying, of course. How did she do it? How did she see things so simply or solve them as if she were choosing a change of clothes? Well, it must be emphasized that she could only do so with other people's problems because her love life seemed quite undecided.

“What are you, some kinda smartass?” Santana joked and saw in the distance that Ryder and Puckerman Jr were looking for a place to have lunch. Just what she needed to change the subject. “Enough about me. So, the million-dollar question. Black or white?”

“What?”

“Puckerman junior or Ryder, girl. Oh. Wait. Another one was added to the list? Damn kid. You’re a _naughty_ , _naughty_ girl ” She simply did what she knew how to do best: avoid her problems by attacking someone else's.

“What? No! First, stop calling me kid and second, I don’t know. I haven’t chosen anyone, yet” Her throat closed, panic and despair overwhelming her. Santana could see indecision filled her eyes as she put her face in her hands to hide the shame that was appearing taking color in her cheeks reflected in a strong red.

“Ok, ok. Whatever you want _Florcita_ but, really? What's got you so confused? It's a pretty easy decision for me. Oh, no. You can’t be serious. Tell me you’re not in love with Puckerman.” The brunette concluded when she saw that Marley didn't take her eyes off the Afro boy. My God. What is wrong with women today? Are they born with their senses of taste atrophied? Ugh.

“I’m mad at him”

_‘Giiirrrl, what did you expect from a Puckerman?’_

“Don’t tell me, let me guess. He made you think you were special to him while he was with someone else” Marley simply bowed her head and Santana could only think ‘ _Huh! Classy_ ’ “You can't stay mad at someone for long, Marley. You don't have that personality. Can I give you some advice as a _friend_ and as someone who dated her brother? Stay away from that afro guy. You're too good for someone like him”

For the first time Santana didn't want to be extremely unkind and hard on someone else but she needed to open Marley's eyes before she got hurt. Apparently, the girl was already on that path.

They finished their lunch in silence.

…

..

.

* * *

Santana had managed to convince Quinn to help her handle the cheerios and to calm Kitty down a bit about her anti-Marley attitude.

“So, you got what you always wanted in the end. To start over and leave the past behind. How's that working out for you, Q?” She was adjusting her new green bodycon dress while relaxing in the chair, looking at her friend who was standing in front of her. After agreeing with Quinn to manage the cheerleaders, they decided to have a drink in one of those typical pathetic bars in Lima.

Santana kept looking at Quinn and… It was true that they hadn't seen each other for a long time but it was also necessary to admit that something had changed in her and it wasn't just her haircut and her now more oxygenated color.

“You're not calling me names. How mature of you. It seems like the coaching position marked you or you're really terrified of what Sue might do to you. Hmm” The fierce latina simply arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at her without responding because she knew they were immediately going to start a war of insults and, this time, she didn't want that. “Ok, yes… it’s all I've ever wanted”

“But…?”

“But, nothing. What could–”

“Look, I know there’s more goin’ on here because I _know_ you Q, all right? So cut the crap, already, and level with me, Lucy Q. What’s really going on?”

“I’m dating someone. Well… not dating _dating –”_ As she watched the blonde release a long, frustrated sigh, moving restlessly in her chair and her eyes never turned to Santana... the latina already knew she had screwed up.

“Fucking” and with a single word she made the hazel green eyes stick to her coldly as they used to do in high school. “What? I call things as they are. Now, give details. The _nasty_ ones”

“He’s my professor” Quinn dropped the bomb while biting her lower lip.

“Oh. My. God. Haven't you learned anything from your past? So, you’re fucking an old man that, let me guess, he’s married.”

Santana should write a book naming all the predictable facts that men do with women. Really. Maybe that way she could help girls like Quinn and Marley who, to be honest, were very smart but seemingly useless when it came to love because, really? How can they let themselves be used in that way?

Men are pigs.

“Yes but, he’s going to leave–”

_‘Dear Lord, please make her shut the fuck up’_

“Forget it. There's no use. You're hopeless. Are you fucking retarded, Quinn? Because I thought at least you'd be able to get your life together” Santana hadn’t been able to contain her anger and began to almost scream at Quinn.

“Like your love life is better than mine. Every time Brittany walks past you, I can hear you whining like a little abandoned puppy. We're in the same position, _hon_. You're waiting for her to leave Sam and I'm waiting for him to leave his wife” and there resurfaced the old Quinn that Santana used to face so often.

“The difference is that for _you_ it's just a whim and you could start to love yourself a little more and look for something better. He’s just using you and that unfaithful pig hides behind the excuse that he's unhappy in his marriage. Brittany and I were soul mates. I'm trying to move on, ok? It’s just –it's not that easy letting go of the most important person in your life and to see her being happy with someone else” Once Santana finished speaking, she focused her gaze on the menu that the waiter had left them to order something quite strong. She was already needing some alcohol in her veins if they were going to have this kind of discussion.

“I’m sorry for not being there when you needed me, S. I promise I’ll try to be a better friend” Her best friend took her right hand and her gaze assured that she would try. The latina gave her a half smile without saying anything, they always understood each other very well after all. Before she could say anything, Santana looked at her watch and she remembered that she had managed to convince the janitor to let her enter the school in the afternoon so that she could rearrange the office Sue had given her and… fuck. She was already late. 

“Damn. I gotta go. See you tomorrow in practice, okay?” The brunette threw a kiss in the air at Quinn after picking up her things and running to her Jeep and then heading to school.

…

..

.

* * *

Without exaggerating, Santana stood in the office for an hour trying to see how she was going to reorganize the trophy collection that her former coach owned.

_Jesus_. Sue did have a one hell of trophy collection.

She never thought about how successful her coach was and let's just say that now she was going to take that place and the Latina was never going to admit that it was starting to make her nervous all of a sudden. She had to continue on that successful path that Sue had left behind and there was no way she was going to be able to deal with the burden of knowing that she could mess it up. And the more she thought about it, the more she despaired.

Fuck it. She could do it. 

Santana just had to put her ovaries on the table and show who she really was.

She could do it, right?

_Yeah._

Santana was setting up her new office to start her new job tomorrow when she heard someone come in. She looked up and it was none other than Brittany. She had mentioned that she was two steps away from going crazy, hadn’t she?

“Can I come in?” the dancer asked almost in an inaudible whisper and her eyes alternated between Santana and the floor. Almost as if she were afraid or ashamed to enter the office.

“If you're looking for Sue, you're not gonna find her here. I'm in charge of the cheerios now” Santana reluctantly responded without even looking at her and continued to pile up a couple of boxes where she was placing Sue's things that she wasn’t going to use.

Santana saw Brittany take a few steps in her direction to shorten the distance. She felt a pressure on her chest as she saw that the blonde was unsure if she had done the right thing by being there or not since her gaze had focused on her right foot which was drawing meaninglessly on the floor and her arms were intertwined behind her waist. A strong tension was growing more and more inside that room.

“I was actually looking for you. Marley told me you wanted to talk to me”

_That fucking kid. Of course she would do that._

“ _Oh_. Yeah. Umm… Since I'm the new coach now and I'm threatened if I don't win that fuckin’ trophy, I want you to be the new captain of the Cheerios and ask you if you could help me train the girls even more since, you know, you're the best dancer and athlete I know” The brunette remained serious all the time as she spoke and decided to tell the truth as to what she thought about her ex-lover. What would she accomplish in denying it if even the dumbest in McKinley High School knew that Brittany was the best dancer in town? As Santana saw how Brittany's eyes began to glow and a huge smile lit up her face, she knew right away that she shouldn't have done it.

“Sure! I’d be glad to do it, Santana. I’ll do anything for you” The taller girl immediately approached to hug her tightly and Santana sighed in frustration before grabbing Brittany tightly by the shoulders and pulling her away from her body.

“Ok. Stop right there, B” Santana's voice threatened to wobble, showing her pain. So, she let out a false laugh to counteract what she was feeling. “You’re killing me”

“I’m sorry, San. I just really miss my best friend. Can we go back to the way we were before? I miss _you_ , and our lady kisses but I’m with Sam now and he is only into monarchy” she confessed pouting with her lower lip, knowing that Santana would always end up giving in when she saw those blue eyes lighter than the sky with a sad tone and that pleading face.

“Monogamy” Santana corrected her and the blonde took her by the hand, taking advantage of the fact that she had responded in a certain way.

“Can we at least try?” she asked her by looking into her eyes closely. When she saw that the Latina had frozen there, she took it as a sign that this time she wasn't going to reject her. 

So, they hug again but this time was different.

It's ironic how someone who was so familiar and good to you once can only cause you pain now. The brunette clung to her body for the last time and felt her own self resigning. There was nothing left to do but accept the way things were from then on.

Maybe Marley was right. It was time to move on.

And maybe, finally, she could already start doing it.

…

..

.

* * *

“I could kill you, you’re aware of that, aren’t you? The only reason I'm not doing it is because it's gonna be too easy. You are not a worthy opponent.” Santana spoke as her body leaned over the door of Marley's room, watching her put on her training shoes.

“A thank you would be enough, you know?”

“Not my style, sweetie”

“Noted” Marley stood up and approached Santana to give her a kiss on the cheek as a greeting, causing the Latina to tighten up completely before the action and blush a little. She still couldn't get used to these expressions of affection with other people. “So, how did it go?” she asked her smilingly.

“It could’ve been worse” Santana responded once he cleared her throat.

“Just give it time, it's gonna get better” Marley looked at her gently, her blue eyes full of hope and optimism. “Shall we start?” the youngest girl interrupted the conversation as they left their house, towards a nearby park.

“Ha! Show me what you’ve got, _chica_!” Santana let Marley pass her by and then took revenge in the sweetest way she had been planning since they started jogging. While Marley was teasing her that he had caught up with her, the latina started to pick up speed and when she saw that they were passing by one of the lakes in the park, she hit Marley's waist by tackling her by surprise and thus falling into the lake.

“Oh my god!” Marley screamed before falling into the water “You already had it in mind, didn't you?” when she saw that her mentor was laughing out loud as she tried to get out of the pond. “You’re evil!” as Santana reached the shore to help her out, Marley began to swim quickly until she could grab her by the t-shirt and throw her in the water with her. Once she fulfilled her purpose, she came out of the lake to squeeze her clothes.

“–The fuck! So, you wanna play dirty, huh? It’s _so_ on, honey” when Marley turned to the brunette it was already late, Santana had tackled her landing on top of Marley as she hit the ground but luckily this time was only grass and not water again. The youngest girl felt Santana's fingers tickle her sides, making her scream and laugh uncontrollably.

“O–Okay!You–Stop it!–You w–win!” Santana sat on Marley's stomach, placing her legs on either side of her body, her hands holding her arms tightly on each side of Marley’s head. Both were totally drenched and breathing heavily from all the running and tickling. None of them realized how close their faces were. While they trying to calm their breathing, the girls were staring at each other remaining motionless. Suddenly, Santana was mesmerized by the deep blue of Marley's eyes. She had these eyes. They were blue and they looked bluer because of her brown hair. They were soulful, in some way; they showed so much transparency that just by looking at them you knew every emotion she was feeling, and you could read her mind easily. She had never paid attention to her as she had until now when she was so close to her. Santana was feeling a magnetic pull or spark towards the girl like… a physical intimacy.

“What?” Marley had simply given up smilingly looking into Santana's eyes.

“Your eyes are beautiful” she just blurted out.

_Shit._

“Thanks” the girl began to blush bashfully, breaking eye contact, not knowing how to respond to that.

Once the brunette was able to remove the confusion that was ruling her mind, she realized what that impulse that her body was feeling meant and the great catastrophe it could cause simply by not knowing how to restrain herself a little.

This was not a movie and her reality was that she was Marley's mentor and besides, the girl was straight as an arrow since she was in the middle of a conflict in choosing between two hot guys who were fighting to be with her. In other words, what chance would she have? None. And on top of that she would ruin a friendship that seemed to be more than healthy and honest, which at the time was the only good thing she had in her life.

"Uh, my house is not far from here. I–I was thinking, only if you want to– we can go shower and change our clothes” the Latina started cursing herself internally for not expressing herself well and immediately cleared her throat before clarifying that she was not referring to any innuendo or anything. “ _Uh_ , I didn’t mean together _together_. I don’t mind at all. I mean–you could shower first and–” Santana started rambling on trying to fix what she had said but only made the situation worse by making both of them feel uncomfortable and seeing how Marley was still looking at her shyly, she realized how what she said had sounded and felt little by little how a great heat and blush was suddenly affecting her face.

“Okay” Marley decided to cut it off before she said any more embarrassing things.

Now she couldn't get rid of the image of the two of them bathing together and... _just_ _fucking_ _great_. Why did she always have to act like a total loser with other girls? It was infuriating.

_Jesus._

On the way home, neither of them said a single word. It was evident that the air had changed in some way. A little tension could be perceived between them, or maybe it was just Santana and her fucking head that screwed things up more than they were just to mess with her.

Once they arrived at the Latina's house, Santana quickly went up the stairs inviting Marley to follow behind her.

"While you take a shower, I'm going to be downstairs in the courtyard stretching" Santana simply told her and left her room, leaving Marley alone. Like, immediately.

Before starting to stretch her muscles, Santana took a look at the Instagram and saw a picture of the "happy new couple", in which both Brittany and Sam were smiling so brightly that it was enviable. As much as Santana had agreed to try and maintain their friendship, it hurt Santana to know that she was no longer the reason for that wide smile and twinkle in their eyes. She wanted to feel that happiness too and, let's say, that feeling was nowhere near. So, she decided to go to the little gym behind the house and started hitting the punching bag to vent her anger and pain.

In the end, everything that the blonde complained about having 'left her behind' ended up being Brittany who had left the brunette behind so quickly and their relationship became something of the past that she had clearly forgotten long ago.

If there was one thing that hurt the brunette a lot, it was to feel abandoned, being that it was something she lived every day with her family... she still couldn't get used to the idea that people as they came into her life, also left without warning.

She took her tank top off to stay in her sports bra and started throwing punches. After she had completely exhausted herself, she picked up one of the bottles that was always there in a refrigerator, took a long sip and then wet her whole face to cool down a bit. Then, she dried herself with the towel that was on a countertop.

Promptly, Santana found herself smiling mischievously. The room was mirrored and while she continued to dry her body, her eyes were stuck in the reflection of Marley's figure behind her checking her out with intense concentration. The Latina wondered in her mind if that was the first time Marley had ever looked at her body. It was definitely _not_ a friendly way and apparently _'looking subtly'_ wasn’t in Marley’s vocabulary. Well, how could Santana blame the poor girl? She was a hot piece of ass after all. She knew she had six-packs abs to die for and Santana was already used to stealing a couple of looks from the most heterosexual girls in the school, so…

Her ego had inflated in an impressive way and she could not contain it. It was time to bring out that Lopez attitude.

_‘Sorry, I’m not sorry’_

"They're not unreachable, you know?" the latina's voice brought Marley back to reality abruptly.

“What? I–I wasn't looking at them because I wanted to touch them–I mean– I–” Marley realized she was caught in the act and she started blushing like crazy, her eyes trying to avoid Santana at all costs.

"Who was talking about touching? I mean, I'm not opposed to the idea but I was referring to the fact that if you keep training like this you might get them too. _So_ , you want to touch these beautiful rock-hard babies, _huh_?” the brunette naturally lowered her voice, as an attempt to sound more seductive or attractive and slowly approached to Marley.

“I-Uh, I–” Her mouth opened and closed constantly not knowing what to say or do. The look on her face was priceless.

_‘Damn. I think I broke her’_

Seeing how the girl blushed more and more and had a horror face from being caught in the act– _OMG_ , she really did think about touching Santana’s abs. Okay. That was something new and definitely interesting and confusing for both of them. If she were totally straight, she wouldn’t want to touch her body, huh? Santana didn’t know what to do with that information. She knew that she was a very attractive and sexy person, perhaps she could even tempt the most innocent girl like Marley. Hums.

_‘No. Don't even go there. Just friends’_

“I was just messing with you, kid. But you can touch them if you really want to”

“Oh, my god. I’m so embarrassed! You must think that I’m–”

“ _Cálmate un poco,_ will ya’ _?_ Let's make you something to eat and then I'll take you home before your mom worries about you” Santana took pity on the girl and took her by the hand to drag her into the kitchen.

Besides, what was she trying to do? One of her greatest pleasures in life was to make people uncomfortable but she wasn’t enjoying it like she used to because she thought Marley didn't deserve that, and that was _weird_. Santana kept wondering, why was the girl so uncomfortable? If Santana didn't know better, she might think that Marley might be somewhat attracted to her and–

Santana didn't have to put those ideas in her mind because she already knew what’s next.

She had already experienced it with Brittany and look how it ended. Santana couldn't fall back into the game of a confused girl or one who only wants to experiment. Although people may find it hard to believe, the latina had feelings and it seemed that lately she only had feelings for people who would never reciprocate her or treat her as an equal.

She just _couldn’t_.

.…

..

.

* * *

“Okay okay! Shut the fuck up already! I'm sure you already know us, but just in case, I'm Santana Lopez and from now on I'm your new coach until Sue gets back. Quinn Fabray will be assisting me while she's here in Lima and Brittany Pierce is the new captain” Santana winked at Brittany as everyone cheered. “All I'm gonna say is our goal is to _win_. I _do not_ accept any other option. So, if you guys thought training with Sue was hard, that's because you don't really know us” Santana connected her gaze with Quinn and Brittany who smiled widely “Those who think they can't do it, I invite them to leave nicely before I drag you across the floor by your ponytails” The new coach pointed her index finger at each of the cheerleaders, staring at them and letting them know she was dead serious.

“So, none chickened out?” she only found silence as a response. God, they’re all such pussies. “That said, start warming up!”

“That was hot”, Brittany whispered in Santana's ear and then winked at her before joining the rest of the cheerleaders. The Latina didn't know how to feel about it so she chose to ignore it.

“ _Okay_. Just tell me that you're not still in here in Lima because of _her_ , Santana” Quinn decided to make an appearance and interrupt her thoughts just in time.

Before she could snap at her, Santana saw Marley arrive at the training camp in her uniform and smiled triumphantly even though she knew she had to punish her for being late. By the way, Santana almost forgot that her best friend was looking at her intriguingly as something else had caught her attention and was completely ignoring her. She was going to deal with her later.

“Hey! I’m so _so_ sorry for being late. I promise it won’t happen again” Marley apologized by joining her palms in a mock plea and almost unable to breathe.

“You better, because otherwise I'm gonna have to Sue’s style punish you, and believe me, you're not gonna like it”

“You’re _amazing_ , did you know that? Thank you-thank you!”, Marley immediately wrapped Santana in a tight hug for a few seconds and started running trying to catch up with the other cheerleaders.

“Okay. What the hell was _that_?” Quinn asked her in astonishment and the Latina looked at her with a frown without understanding what she meant.

“You hate people touching you, Santana. And you’re like _nice_ to her” the Yale girl told her as if the apocalypse had just happened. It was outrageous in a certain way. What, she could not be nice to anyone for once? Just because most people sucked and earned her grumpiness didn't mean that everyone deserved it.

Occasionally, there was an exception.

“So? She’s a good kid” Santana simply shrugged her shoulders and fixed her gaze on her now cheerleaders.

“Interesting, the new Rachel turned into your new Brittany. Cool” The new coach could see her partner's raised eyebrow out of the corner of her eye, and she was quite annoyed by her mocking way of talking to her.

“You’re trying my patience right now, blondie”

“I'm trying to talk some sense into you” What the fuck was she saying? When Santana turned her head to finally face her, she found a worried look and a Quinn ready to give a sermon like she was her mother. “When I said you should get over your relationship, I didn't mean you should become a _cradle robber,_ Santana”

“Arggh for gods sake shut up!” the latina shout at her in anger “I haven't even done anything! And for the record, she’s straight as an arrow and she’s got two guys fighting over her so…”

“If you say so” Santana watched as Quinn rolled her eyes in a sign that she didn't believe a word of it but was grateful that she let it go and didn't continue to lecture her. “I was wondering, do you want to come with me to Will's wedding? Since I’m alone and you are too…” Quinn asked out of the blue, leaving the brunette perplexed.

“What a smooth way to ask a girl to go out on a date, Fabgay”

“I take it back”

“Wait–I’ll go with you” Immediately, before the offer was no longer valid, Santana decided to accept it. She thought, _why the hell not?_ It was like Quinn said, they are both single and lonely... What could possibly go wrong?

…

..

.

* * *

So, the day of the wedding arrived and as they had arranged, Quinn and Santana attended together.

She may be jaded, but to her, every wedding was a boring wedding. She didn’t like them at all, and she have no idea why people keep inviting her since she was such a grinch. Not to mention that the ceremony was a total fiasco (which was already scheduled to happen). Although the food was rare, fortunately the alcohol made up for it. See? Santana managed to bring out the positive side from time to time.

At one point in the night, something managed to capture the brunette's attention. Jake and Ryder were sitting together looking at Marley as if she were a trophy. It seemed to her that they were having a strange attitude as they both talked while looking at the girl who continued to dance in the middle of the dance floor with her friends. Santana wasn't going to sit around wondering what was going on, so she approached them discreetly.

After seeing in the distance the scene where Ryder was explaining the things Jake had to do to surprise Marley, and sick of seeing Brittany and Sam all the time, rubbing in her face how happy they were together, she decided to go to the dance floor and ask Marley to dance with her. She didn't even care that she was already dancing joyfully with Unique and Tina.

Fuck it. They could wait, she couldn't.

While she was at it, she had to let her know that that stupid Jake was giving her so many surprises because the only thing she had in mind was to have sex that night because, well, that's what weddings are for, right? Besides, Ryder was the one who was helping him because the brown guy didn't have the slightest idea of the things Marley liked.

“Hey” Marley as always smiled at her broadly “You okay?” The apprentice asked her directly, sensing that something was not right in the way Santana was looking at her restlessly. She was already getting to know the brunette better and knew when something was wrong.

“Listen, Marls. I don't want to always be the pessimist here, and although I don't show it very often, I _do_ care about you”

“Okay?”

“Jake's just trying to get into your pants. Ryder is the one helping him by telling him everything he needs to do to surprise you”

“I had a feeling” she said sadly, her eyes went down to the ground to avoid showing Santana the disappointment she was feeling at the time. When the mentor realized that she had stopped dancing joyously as before, she decided to turn her around and cheer her up a bit by picking up the rhythm of the electronic song that was playing in the background. It was unfair that because of a couple of dickheads she couldn't enjoy the night.

“I still wonder why Ryder's doing that instead of competing”

“Maybe he just wants to help Jake. He’s a good guy” Santana stared at her as if to say there was something the other girl wasn't telling her. _Come on, seriously?_ Who would help his enemy for whom you are fighting to conquer the girl of your dreams? Absolutely no one. “I told him the other day that I wanted to remain friends. It's just, I got tired of watching them fight and, I don't even know if I want to have a relationship with any of them”

“But I still see you have the hots for that dude” Marley simply blushed knowing who she was referring to. “Ugh, speak of the devil”

“Hi, Santana” the brown boy approached them and stretched out his hand to steal her dance partner and, analyzing how the girl's eyes automatically lit up, Santana already assumed that everything she had told her had been forgotten. “May I?”

“Just so we're clear, you hurt her and I'll kill you” Sensing that neither of them was now aware of their existence, the angry Latina pointed at the boy's chest warning him before leaving them alone.

“But I –”

“I know what you're trying to do here. You’re a Puckerman after all and you’re all cut from the same cloth. I’ll be watching you. Don't make me want to rip your balls off with my teeth.”

_Ew._

Well, Santana hadn't really thought about how disgusting it would be to do that, but when she saw how the boy swallowed his saliva, the latina realized that she had accomplished her goal, which was to scare him.

Santana met Quinn at the bar again and they ordered some drinks. They laughed when they saw that the bartender accepted their false IDs and well, they didn't finish emptying a glass that they were already filling again. “Fuck it. Let's get drunk and tell each other everything we are too afraid to say sober”

Quinn let out a chuckle and place her arm over hers. "You know, I have to say Rosario, you are killing it in that dress." Hazel eyes scanned her body quickly as she brought her hand to Santana’s bare shoulder. It was an innocent compliment at first, but from one moment to the next, Santana found herself disoriented and unable to tell if the ‘situation’ was turning into flirting.

Santana’s face slightly shifted to confusion as she responded with a flirty but skeptical "Thanks."

Santana’s eyes scanned across the reception hall and they stop very shortly on Brittany and Sam, then on Marley and Jake. "Look at those romantic saps." She murmured, her voice reflecting some annoyance. "They may have love, but you know what we are that they aren't?"

_"Flawless."_ Quinn quickly jumped in. They smiled at each other and toasted to that, chugging their martini glasses that the bartender had recently handed to them.

They stayed at the bar most of the night like two old drunk men who didn't want to go home, needing to lose their heads until they had no sense of time. Maybe they were looking for that too. It was Valentine's Day and they were at a wedding that never happened and to top it off, they were both single and only had each other.

Santana knew that Quinn was never very tolerant of alcohol and would soon begin to become tipsy, touchy and flirtatious. So, yeah. The night was starting to get interesting. Santana noticed that the more they drank, the flirtier Quinn got with her and it became increasingly difficult to pretend that she was not provoked by her every time the blonde purposely slipped her fingers along her spine, landing on her lower back and tracing random patterns on her skin. Santana was human after all, and they had both matured a bit to take charge of their actions.

They kept drinking until Quinn got tired of standing around and watching everyone dance but the two of them "Come on." she slurred as she grabbed Santana’s hand and pulled her from the bar "Let’s dance"

The Latina would not deny that she found her ex-cheerios captain attractive and sexy. She did have eyes, _duh_. But she just never thought anything could happen between them knowing that the blonde only liked men, or at least that's what she always thought.

So that was the issue now. What was she going to do if Quinn kept coming on to her like she had been doing all night? Because, _come on_ , let's be honest. They were both smart girls and they knew that there was chemistry between them and they were almost sparking at the sexual attraction that was emanating from their bodies.

Considering that it had been a long time since Santana had had sex…

Fucking damn it.

Why didn't the brunette manage to convince herself completely and simply give in? There's no harm done but she had this fear that she could ruin another friendship just because she couldn't keep her hands to herself. 

As Finnocence and the midget began singing their duet the blonde pulled Santana into her, the front of their bodies pressing together. Quinn slid her arms around her waist as Santana’s arms wrapped around her neck. It was awkward at first but then Santana started to relax. Her face nuzzled into Quinn’s neck as the blonde kept running her hands lightly over her lower back, sending a chill of arousal through her body. Santana never would have guessed that one day she'd be slow dancing with Quinn fucking Fabray.

"I've never slow danced with a girl before." Quinn whispered into her ear and Santana pulled her head back just far enough to look at her. "I like it." she smirked and she just smiled and scrunched her face before nuzzling even closer into Santana. Santana didn't know how to act after that. Her mind was about to collapse. Quinn wasn't just another girl, and she couldn't figure out what her real intentions were. But since alcohol run through her veins, that gave her enough courage to try her luck.

Santana moved her head closer until her lips were right beside Quinn’s ear. "Want to get out of here?" If she hadn’t drunk so much maybe she could have sworn she heard a faint whimper from the blonde.

Quinn bit her lip and nodded. And that was the green light that Santana needed to link the blonde’s hands with hers and leave the dance floor. They stumbled their way out of the reception hall towards the elevator of the hotel. And, well, things heated up quickly. Santana stepped into the empty space first and Quinn stumbled into her, slamming their bodies together against the elevator’s wall.

They both grunted in between giggles as the doors closed behind them. Santana pulled away and hit the fifth-floor button, hazel eyes looking at her aroused. Quinn stepped back into Santana, her hands wrapping back around her neck. Her eyes quickly flickered to Santana’s plump lips and then she bit her own bottom lip hard.

Santana hands latched onto her hips, pulling her body closer to her. And the latina waited. If Quinn wanted this, she was going to have to make the first move. The only thing the brunette did was bring her face closer to hers and rub her nose against Quinn’s. Lips parted, her breath mingling with hers. It was enough to make Quinn crash her lips into hers. Santana felt her moan slightly as she ran her tongue along Quinn’s bottom lip, which was quickly granted entrance.

The kiss broke apart suddenly as the elevator made noise signaling that someone was about to enter from the third floor. They both giggled as Santana's eyes met Marley's. Her gaze immediately ended on the other person behind her. Fucking Jake. The Latina could tell that something strange had happened to Marley because of the way her eyes didn't glow like they always did. But well, she couldn't handle it now that she had a pretty drunk Quinn who was starting to whisper dirty things in her ear between giggles.

"Hey” Marley smiled at Santana's presence but then frowned that Quinn was the other girl who was practically throwing herself at Santana. Santana didn't know if her face showed confusion, disappointment or unexpected surprise. “Hi, Quinn” The blonde was totally focused on what she was doing on the brunette's neck.

“You guys coming up?" Santana asked so she pressed the button on the floor they were headed for, as Quinn had her cornered by the dashboard.

“Uh, we’re actually heading to the dance floor again”, Jake responded while Marley kept looking at the floor. The brunette was about to ask her what was wrong when Quinn decided to talk dirty in her ear.

“I’m so wet for you right now, Santana”, She whispered into her ear lowly and–S _hitshitshit_. That night the Latina was discovering a new side of her best friend. Definitely, the next morning she was going to have to tell her that the drunk version of Quinn was definitely much more interesting and sexier than the sober one.

As soon as the elevator made the noise again and the doors opened, Quinn walked forward, backing Santana out of the elevator into the hallway. They fumbled around until Santana pulled Quinn into the room. They practically fell on the floor. Santana's arms wrap around Quinn from behind keeping them from falling together.

Amidst laughter and stumbling, the brunette managed to guide them to the bed where Quinn collapsed laughing hysterically.

Santana’s lips were pressed to her neck immediately as Quinn were trying to remove her jacket. Seeing that the blonde couldn’t remove it, Santana bent her knees to get into a sitting position between her legs so she could help the blonde to undress her.

And Santana waited.

She watched every move the blonde made. Santana wanted to know if she really wanted to do that. Quinn was her best friend so she was going to give her the benefit of the doubt and if she regretted it, she would respect her decision. When she was about to ask her if she was sure, Quinn shut her up by kissing her fiercely.

Okay, the blonde hadn't changed her mind at all.

So, between kisses they managed to take off what little clothes were left between them and to Santana's surprise, the sex was actually great.

…

..

.

* * *

Once the weekend had passed, Santana, still with a _massive_ hungover and all that shit, headed over to Marley's house to find her and start the week's exercise routine. For once in her life she couldn't complain about having a boring weekend, since she had spent it with Quinn having passionate, frantic sex and always a lot of alcohol and marijuana in between. After all, thanks to all the forces in the universe, the friendship between them seemed even stronger.

As soon as Santana knocked on the door, Marley came out and the latina could tell that she was also tired. Maybe she had stayed late with Puckerman Jr. Who knows? It wasn't that she cared. It was Marley’s life after all.

_Right._

Santana could never understand why they exchanged such uncomfortable " _hey_ " that morning.

While Santana was preparing some protein-rich smoothies, Marley was taking care of the rest of the breakfast. Half an hour had passed and neither of them had said a word. There were only looks and a few shy (or rather uncomfortable) smiles.

“So, Quinn. Huh?” until Marley decided to cut the silence.

Okay. Way to get straight to the point.

“Yup” Santana only confirmed what happened that night, not knowing what else to say. The mixer made background noise as it finished preparing the last shake for herself.

“I thought you guys hated each other” Marley continued with the ‘attempt conversation' as she headed to the table, waiting for her new coach to join her. If Santana didn't know better, she'd think she was like… upset with her for what happened?

“We’re best friends and we’re both HBIC. How do you expect us to get along? It would be a fucking miracle” Marley nodded her head slightly, implying that she understood her in some way. “But we both know we always got each other’s back if something happens to us”

“So, are you together or something now?” the youngest girl asked her tentatively, without looking into her eyes, focusing on her plate. Santana almost spat out her protein shake at the question she had just asked. Had she heard right? The brunette was tempted to laugh at the ridiculous question but saw that Marley was looking at her seriously and frowning, so she cleared her throat and answered.

“Of course not. Just because we've had sex doesn't mean we're dating.” 

“ _Right_ ”

“So, you and little Puck?”

“You mean Jake” Marley immediately corrected her. “Yeah. We’re trying”

“Glad for you kid” Although Santana had not been convinced by the tone of the girl's voice, she preferred not to inquire further into the matter.

“Thanks”

And the uncomfortable silence returned.

Once they had finished eating breakfast, Marley went back upstairs to change clothes and Santana took the opportunity to look for the gift she had left in her Jeep for her apprentice.

It was already starting to get colder and, although Santana was used to training all the time no matter what the temperature of the day was, she knew that Marley was quite sensitive to cold and imagined that she would suffer every time they went out to train in low temperatures. The Latina had already spent an entire week listening to the girl complain about the cold while it was still warm. Better safe than sorry, right?

Maybe Santana had gone a little overboard with the gift, but she really couldn't help it. Layering properly will help regulate her body temperature and keep risk of cold-related illnesses like hypothermia at bay.

She just didn't want to deal with a convulsing girl lying on the floor because she had been exposed to too much cold. 

So, Santana bought some long-sleeve tech shirts (wool ones are awesome) to use as a base layer, compression tights, a pair of running gloves, two windproof running jackets and wool blend running socks.

She thought that with all of that her trainee would be comfortable and not end up getting sick while they continued their training routines. She had only done it to take care of her ears from so many complaints, not because Santana had a very small part inside her that cared about the girl. Absolutely not.

“I brought you something” Santana after knocking on the door of Marley's room to announce her presence before entering.

“ _Santana–_ ”

“Just take the damn gift. You must learn that sometimes there are people who simply want to give you something just because you deserve it”

“ _Deal_. So, you must learn that sometimes there are people who simply want to hug you because you are the sweetest person in this world”

The brunette rolled her eyes at what she had heard, and before she could deny it, Marley plunged her into a huge, warm hug that made Santana smile happily and end up reciprocating that hug in a placid way.

After performing their training routine, they had arrived at the wooden porch of Marley's house and Santana had come up with an idea that would obviously benefit her friend. She was already taking this coaching and mentoring thing to heart. Perhaps it was her true calling and she had been hiding it all along. Maybe, that was what she was meant to do.

“I was thinking that it would be good if you practiced a little bit to improve your full twist before this afternoon's practice. What do you say?”

"Whatever you think is best, Coach", Santana rolled her eyes once again at her new nickname and watched Marley smiling playfully "I know deep down you like to have authority”

“A little bit. So, I'll see you later?” Marley nodded her head smilingly and the brunette retired having already coordinated her evening.

…

..

.

* * *

“Okay. Head up. No sloppy stuff.” Santana placed her hand on Marley's thigh to help her improve the jump once she did it. “Again. Trust yourself. You can do it.” Marley breathed purposefully before jumping back with the latina’s help.

“Better. You’re gettin there. If you keep practicing like this, you're going to do better than Kitty”, Santana said proudly.

“You’re kidding, right?” Marley asked her without knowing if she should feel pleased of what the ex-cheerleader had said as a compliment or take it as sarcasm and feel useless and a failure.

“Seriously, _chica_. In these last months, you've been gaining more muscle mass and even more boobies, or haven't you noticed?” Santana decided to give five seconds of honesty even though it might have been too much.

_Great, now the girl is going to think you've been checking her out. Way to sound like a pervert, Santana. Ugh._

“If we keep training like we are, I'm sure you're going to be up to Kitty's standards and she's gonna go crazy knowing that you're replacing her spot. I'm dying to see that”

“What? I don't want your place, Santana” Marley told her honestly by shaking her head. Listening to what her mentor had said, she took a little distance and incorporated posture as if to start a brief conversation to make certain things clear.

“What do you mean by that? Marley, you could take revenge and steal what she wants so badly, show her that she shouldn't mess with you. Sometimes those fucking bitches have to get what they deserve”

“I don't want revenge. I just want to sing and for her to leave me alone” Marley looked at her almost disappointed to hear what Santana had just said. ‘ _I thought you knew_ ', her eyes finished her idea for her.

“You're too good for this place, Rose” Santana sighed resignedly. She wouldn't deny that she was dying to see that little blond devil suffer a little, but in a way, she admired Marley's kindness and maybe it was a waste of time after all.

“So are you. I mean, too good to be here. I think what I want to say is that you're not bad at being a coach because you really are spectacular, but I think you should reconsider giving yourself a second chance and look for something outside of Lima, Santana. You're an amazing woman.” Marley smiled at her nicely and Santana just listened and looked at her the whole time. A warm feeling was spreading in her chest as she discovered that Marley believed in her. It was nice to hear those things once in a while.

“I didn't know you were coming to train before practice” Quinn's voice broke the moment with her well-arched eyebrow staring at the brunette. Neither of them had noticed her presence.

“Hi, Quinn! Uh, Santana wanted to help me improve my full twist”

“I _see_ ” the blonde kept smiling mischievously at Santana.

In the background they could hear the rest of the cheerleaders arriving in the hall as it was time to start the day's practice. With that, Marley said goodbye to join the group that had just arrived. Soon Santana recovered her badass composure and began to give the instructions of the day.

“ _Mhhmm_ ” Although Santana was unaware of the blonde's presence, she could see how she was smiling joyfully. “I don't remember a single time in so many years of friendship that you helped me improve my full twist”

“I never helped you because I enjoyed pulling your hair and smashing you against the lockers more” Santana responded by challenging her by crossing her arms, causing the blonde to laugh.

“Or maybe you enjoyed having me on top of you. You must have really enjoyed the view, huh? You pervert.” Quinn had come close enough to whisper in the brunette's ear, her lips brushing against her lobe, causing the hairs on the Latina's neck to stand up. “Do you want to be the one on top of me tonight?”

“Do I bring wine?” the Latina asked, noting that her tone of voice had changed to a lower one. In response, her friend simply smiled at her and bit her lower lip, then walked away.

For a few seconds the Latina continued to look at her until she felt a pair of eyes staring at her from afar, so she turned her head to the left and found Marley staring at her but promptly looked down to focus on her push-ups.

From the way the brunette had been looking at her, Santana thought that Marley seemed to be upset but, it was absurd, right? First of all, the girl shouldn't be jealous or anything because she was totally in love with that stupid guy -sorry, those- and secondly, Santana had already told her that it was just sex between her and Quinn. So why look at her so seriously as if she was bothered by that?

That was too freaking weird.

The Latina decided to erase the situation from her mind and went to the cheerleaders to give new instructions.

…

..

.

* * *

One day, Marley had asked Santana to pass their workout routine for later in the afternoon. The Latina had told her that she didn't have a problem, even though she did because she wanted to be at home at that time, even though she never did anything, but she accepted without complaint.

When Santana showed up in the afternoon with her thermal sports equipment, gloves and hat - because it was fucking freezing - she found a Marley completely stressed out because she couldn't concentrate to study and the next day she had an exam.

After listening to the girl for several minutes complaining that she was going to totally fail that exam the next day, Santana, already on the verge of exploding, took the backpack that belonged to her apprentice and placed the books she was studying and some clean clothes.

“What are you doing, Santana?”

“If you shut up for once, I'll show you what I did when this happened to me. I'm going to talk to your mom and tell her that you're staying at my house and then we'll go”

All along the way Marley just looked at Santana in confusion but never said anything, she was just patient and waited to see what the destination was that was definitely not the brunette's house. When the new coach parked in front of the school, before Marley asked the most obvious thing in the world _what they were going to do there_ , Santana ordered her to get out of her Jeep and follow her.

Marley, like a good girl, with her mouth closed, walked behind her mentor, following her everywhere. She didn't even complain that Santana had blackmailed the school janitor with personal information so he promised he would never reveal that they spent nights there.

The girls walked for a while until they ended up inside a small room that, apparently, only the brunette knew about and kept it hidden from everyone. Years ago, when Santana was only about 13 years old, she had once hidden in the room where the cleaning staff kept their utensils and saw that behind a huge shelf, a door was hidden. And like a good curious girl, she moved the furniture to discover a place that was completely dirty and abandoned at that time. From that moment on, the brunette made it her second home. Every time her parents argued and didn't allow her to concentrate on her studies, she ended up spending the night in that room preparing for her exams. No one knew about this place until Santana decided to share it with Marley.

"Okay. It's all dirty. Don't judge. It's been a while since I've been here and I couldn't restore it before I brought you in” Santana excused herself as she watched Marley look with amazement at the room that had a small bed in it that looked like it was homemade even though it seemed to be quite comfortable, a small table with only one chair that clearly reflected that only the brunette was coming and no one else. In one corner there were a couple of books that, due to the dust on their covers, Marley could tell that no one had used them for quite some time and on the opposite wall, where they had entered, there was a white board with a couple of markers and an eraser.

"Whenever I couldn't focus because the subjects were gross, I found it better to transcribe key ideas on the board and repeat them several times. Maybe it works for you too”, Santana explained to her as she lay down on the bed and stretched out her arms, opening and closing her hands as a signal for Marley to start taking the books out of the backpack and hand them to the brunette.

"This is amazing, Santana, I love it! Did you design the whole place?" Marley asked her with her haunting eyes and her voice reflected how surprised she was.

"Obviously, I did it with my own hands. Who else? It was all a piece of garbage and junk underneath a mile-long layer of dirt, so I worked my magic and _Voilà_ ". Those kind blue eyes of Marley's were looking at her in a way that Santana's mind was beginning to accept that _that_ smile and _those_ eyes were having an effect on her that she still couldn't decipher or rather didn't want to admit what it was. After a few seconds in which they continued to look at each other, Santana cleared her throat and started to read aloud so Marley could write main ideas on the board. Then Santana asked her questions related to the subject. 

And so they spent most of the night until Marley began to complain that it was already late and she should get some rest.

“I had no idea you were such a crybaby. Let's take a shower and then get some sleep.” Santana rolled her eyes and began to head for the cheerios' showers. Luckily, she had left clean clothes and towels just in case in her office. You never know what might happen.

When Santana got out of her shower and saw Marley surrounded only by a towel while she was squeezing her hair, she couldn't help but take a look at her body. It had changed quite a bit during the year, and Santana could clearly see the result of all the effort she had put into improving her physical condition over the past few months. Apparently, her look had not been at all discreet because she was immediately confronted with a pair of blue eyes and a shy, embarrassed smile. Marley's face had immediately turned deeply red.

 _Fuck._ Santana had been caught in the act. It wasn't a crime to appreciate the view in front of her, was it? If the girl didn't feel uncomfortable sharing moments alone with her lesbian mentor before, after seeing that she was stalking her as she towel-dried her body, she probably was now.

Santana decided to dry her body and get dressed so she could leave as quickly as possible.

Once they had returned to the secret room, Santana was the first to collapse in bed. After a few seconds of relaxation, she moved her body until she was against the wall to give the girl some space. While Santana waited for Marley to go to bed next to her, she set the alarm so they could wake up and get ready before classes started, and therefore they could go unnoticed that they had spent the night there.

“What the hell are you doing there? C’mere, dollface. I won’t bite… _yet_ ”, She said with her distinctive smirk. “Just get in here, _chica_. You're in safe hands, I promise. Scout’s honor.” Santana raised her hand to fulfill the promise after releasing a frustrated sigh when she saw that Marley was still contemplating the offer to sleep with her.

 _Wanky_.

Let us rephrase the sentence. Marley kept contemplating the offer to sleep _beside_ her. _‘Mind out of the gutter, Santana’._

Once her apprentice decided to lie down next to her, Marley turned off the light and began to take off her slippers while Santana held the sheets so she could get into bed.

“Have you really–”

“Kid, don't make me smack you. Just do me a favor, shut up and let me get my beauty sleep” Santana immediately cut off the question the girl was about to ask. Marley rolled to her side, turning her back to Santana. There was only a couple of inches between their bodies and Santana could feel the girl's discomfort.

Was Marley that uncomfortable sleeping with her? Surely if she was with any of her sex toys they would already be on top of her groping and assaulting her. Because… _boys_. Santana, on the other hand, was very calm behind her figure and wasn't even touching her. The brunette had to admit that she was also a little nervous because, although it hadn't been long since her passionate encounter with Quinn, it had been a long time since she had last slept with someone in the same bed and placidly. The blonde would simply retire after achieving several orgasms. She never had any interest in staying up all night with the Latina, entangling their bodies.

Intimacy was something Santana really missed and she knew she couldn't get it with just anyone.

Several minutes had passed and although she felt overwhelmed by the silence and tension in that room, Marley kept moving her legs... within minutes she was moving her arms or adjusting her hair... and Santana was already beginning to feel her blood boil as she could not concentrate on getting to sleep.

“ _Jesus_ , what’s your fucking problem!?” The brunette said exasperatedly when she saw that Marley kept moving. Did she have ants in her ass or what? God.

“Sorry. It’s just–I’m cold” Marley barely murmured, her voice reflecting shame and shyness. Santana rolled her eyes and let out a sigh to calm her nerves a bit. Her mind had already given her an idea - _a bad, bad idea_ \- and although she wasn't quite sure, she was sincerely tired and couldn't think of any better ones, so she went up to the other girl from behind until she was able to press her body against hers and put her arms around her waist, hugging her belly. She immediately noticed how the girl's body became rigid but after a few seconds she had managed to relax. Since the Latina was offering her services, she decided to get into a better sleeping position, so she glued their bodies together even more and buried her nose in the space between her neck and Marley's shoulder. The girl's perfume was very relaxing, so she managed to fall asleep quickly without any problems.

After a couple of hours, Santana's subconscious woke her up because she felt quite suspicious about the sensation that she had slept enough and had not yet sounded the alarm. When she opened her eyes, she was puzzled to the feel that she could hardly move because there was something heavy on her that was preventing her from doing so.

Marley was practically on top of her, her face hidden in her neck, one leg crossed her body and tangled with hers and her left arm was bent over the brunette's chest. Santana felt the girl's left hand on the side of her neck and her thumb barely touching her cheek.

Santana's mind had short-circuited for a moment. She decided to close her eyes and let herself go for a while. So much time had passed that she barely remembered how nice it was to have another person invade her personal space. As much as Santana wasn’t the kind of person who was affectionate, deep down she enjoyed it when it came to the right person, and in that case, Marley didn't bother her in the least. That was something that alarmed her a little, although she was deluded into believing that Marley was liked by everyone because of who she was. Only Kitty could hate her because probably she couldn't stand herself.

When she felt Marley move her head a little bit trying to curl up more, without moving her legs and the arm that held her face, Santana felt that the girl's lips were almost stuck to the skin on her neck, causing her to feel the heat that emanated every time she breathed out air through her mouth. Santana’s face flushed, and her heart started beating faster every time she felt her breath against her skin. The combination of Marley's breathing and the rubbing of her lips against her neck caused her entire nervous system to be altered, her breathing accelerated and she began to get a little excited.

_Hey, don’t judge._

Any girl would be provoked by the same thing if one of the erogenous parts of her body was being stimulated.

Santana simply could not help herself.

It got worse when the Latina directly felt that the girl's lips were already half open and stuck to her skin. In an instant she felt something wet begin to trace a path down her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

‘ _Fucking great. She’s drooling on me.’_

Clearly the girl was still peacefully sleeping but Santana was absolutely convinced that Marley would have already had a heart attack because of all the embarrassment.

“Marls. _Marley_ , wake up” Santana tried several times to wake up the girl by shaking her body a bit to get some distance and gain composure.

“ _Mmm morning”_ Marley greeted her barely audibly and, to Santana's surprise, she thought it was sweet. Just as she was about to ask her if she had slept well, Marley was so startled that she jumped up and down on the bed and looked everywhere but Santana. As much as her face and neck were red and when Marley covered her face with her hands, at that moment Santana understood that the girl had realized how they had ended up sleeping and that she was drooling on her. Suddenly, Santana began to laugh at the situation.

“I-I’m so, _so_ sorry, Santana” Marley apologized and somehow seemed to blush more and more although for Santana it seemed impossible to achieve.

“You’re cute” Those words escaped from the brunette's mouth and now it was her turn to be embarrassed. Luckily, being a latina made it easier for her to hide her blush.

Fortunately, Santana's alarm decided to interrupt the tension of the moment and both got out of bed to change clothes and review what they had been studying that night before it was time for Marley's exam.

The days after that exam, while Santana was waiting outside Marley's house, the door opened instantly and suddenly she felt a Marley with a huge smile that covered her entire face - her smile went from ear to ear without exaggerating- overwhelming her by hanging on to the brunette's neck. The push was so strong that they both ended up on the floor.

Santana didn't understand what the reason was for such a strong hug and the girl's joy.

“I got an A+!”, those blue eyes stared down at her with such happiness that it was contagious even to Santana.

They both stayed there for a long time laughing on the floor, Marley still not removing her arms around Santana's neck. They were simply enjoying the good news that the younger girl had shared and, perhaps, something else.

Inside, Santana began to realize that the girl's happiness made her happy too.

…

..

.

* * *

But happiness was short-lived each time Quinn returned to New Haven and only Santana was left in charge of the cheerios. Actually, Kitty Wilde was her only problem. It was as if she had an innate ability to turn from an angel into the devil in a matter of seconds. That damned girl always managed to take it out on Marley in some way and, unfortunately, Santana couldn't always be at that precise moment to save her. Kitty was already testing the brunette's patience quite a bit and what she didn't know was that she was already on the edge.

Until one day Santana exploded and ended up kicking the blonde out of the team.

While Santana was trying to help another group of cheerleaders improve their pyramid, she heard a scream behind her and found Marley collapsed on the floor crying because she had fallen from the pyramid Santana had ordered them to practice changing positions, so it was her apprentice's turn to stay on top. Which obviously she hadn't managed to do, but Santana soon realized that it had all been planned by the blond demon who was laughing with other friends of hers. In desperation to see Marley crying on the floor, she ran to check that she hadn't broken anything and once she was sure that the girl was all right, the brunette stood up and ordered a couple of girls to take her to the emergency room to be checked out. Then, Santana could feel like she had an erupting volcano inside her because, without controlling her emotions, she grabbed Kitty by the neck, lifted her up into the air and then threw her to the ground. She yelled at her furiously to get the fuck out of there and that she didn't want to see her on the team ever again. Kitty simply nodded her head in terror, her eyes red from so many tears and disappeared as quickly as if she had never been there for a second.

Once that day's practice was over, Santana immediately went to the emergency room to make sure Marley was all right but when she was only a few feet away from her destination, she saw from afar that Jake was already taking care of the situation by holding a Marley smilingly against his chest.

When Santana saw that her presence wasn’t necessary and that the girl was fine, she suddenly needed to swallow a giant lump in her throat before she headed home.

That night she didn’t go to Marley's house for dinner as usual. She preferred to remain alone in her mansion even though the silence and loneliness tormented her.

Kitty had to beg Santana for a whole month to get her back on the team.

…

..

.

* * *

Marley and Santana's friendship was growing as the days went by, so much so that it became a habit that every night she stayed for dinner at Marley's house with her mom, except Saturdays when it was movie night, junk food and alcohol at Santana's house. Yes, bad habits always had to be at her house.

It was just a coincidence that one Saturday was the brunette's birthday and, unlike all the other years, Santana had not planned anything because, well, what was the point of not planning anything? Just not doing anything. So, just like every other day, the Latina woke up, turned off her alarm and when she was about to put on her outfit to go running with Marley, her cell phone vibrated indicating that she had received a message.

_I don't feel like going for a run this morning. Could we leave it for this afternoon? xoxo_

Reading Marley's message asking if they could reschedule the training was not what had really affected the Latina, but knowing that even Marley, who was one of the people she considered closest in recent times, hadn’t remembered her birthday. Brittany, too, had apparently forgotten. Even though they no longer spent time together... Santana had hoped that at least her ex-girlfriend and best friend had remembered. She could only recall that her parents had at least sent her a brief message in the early morning, although it was more to ensure that their daughter did not wreck the house with a party than to greet her.

 _‘Woooh, it's just me, myself and I!’_ , Santana took advantage of the fact that she was completely alone and was apparently going to spend her birthday on her own until the afternoon, since she had agreed to go running with Marley. She had decided that once she saw the girl, she wasn’t going to mention anything about her ‘special date’.

He had always thought it was stupid to celebrate birthdays, when one is the protagonist of the moment when everyone is singing and has to wait to blow the candles on the cake without knowing what to do. Ugh. It is absurd. Besides, what is there to celebrate when one gets older and older? Huh? She jus didn't see the point.

Finally, the sun began to slowly fall, orange tones began to fade into the blue sky and that was Santana's signal to put on her wireless headphones and play a Beyoncé song to accompany her as she jogged to her apprentice's home.

The least she could have imagined was that Marley wasn’t even ready to go for a run yet and worse, she had forgotten that too.

What the actual fuck? How could she have forgotten that she had postponed the training for that afternoon?

“I am incredibly sorry! Please, don’t move. I’ll be back in a second!”

Before the brunette could complain and lecture her about not only rescheduling but also forgetting her birthday - even though she had spent the whole afternoon trying not to be affected by anyone remembering her special day - Santana huffed angrily, sat down on the couch to wait for her, but It seemed that God himself was against her that day because out of nowhere the lights suddenly went out.

“Just fucking great!”, Santana said and collapsed on the couch giving up. The day could practically be over. Ugh. It had been one of the worst days of her life.

The already intolerant Latina had stood up to announce at Marley that she was leaving, when she began to hear a couple of female voices singing the happy birthday song from the stairs, and a yellow halo of light began to descend.

The first thing Santana saw was an enthusiastic Marley, smiling broadly with her eyes almost flattened from so much joy as she walked down the stairs holding a cake that, although it was small, the brunette could appreciate had been baked and decorated by her apprentice. H-BDAY SNIXX' was written in red in the center of the white cake, surrounded by small candles. Behind Marley were Quinn, Brittany, Rachel, Tina and Kurt, who were clapping and singing more and more vigorously, waiting for their friend to blow out the candles. 

“Happy Birhtday, Santana”, Marley hugged her tightly and then kissed her on the cheek. She could feel the blood rushing through her face as she melted in her arms. Santana felt a mixture of feelings explode in her chest and it was all due to a simple kiss on the cheek.

For a second, the brunette felt guilty for having doubted the younger girl, but for her own defense, she was already used to people letting her down… so…

She met those dreamy and compliant indigo eyes staring at her so softly… as if she was the only person in the living room of the girl's house.

Santana couldn’t help herself but drawn into her eyes that were sparkling like storm clouds right before lightning hit.

They were so amazingly innocent that Santana was almost envious because the girl was pure light, goodness and joy and she really knew how to enjoy life, something that the brunette couldn't learn to do it yet.

At that exact moment Santana had a strong feeling that something was happening.

Changing.

And that could only mean one thing.

Trouble.


End file.
